Consumer Reports’ 2026 Automotive Brand Report Card placed Dodge, GMC, Land Rover, Rivian and Jeep in its bottom five, in that order from fifth-lowest to lowest. That is a brand-level ranking based on new-vehicle scores—not a finding that every vehicle from those brands is poor or unsafe. Jeep ranked last.
Consumer Reports’ bottom five brands for 2026
Consumer Reports said the bottom five brands remained largely unchanged from the prior year. Its 2026 report placed these brands from fifth-lowest to lowest:
- Dodge
- GMC
- Land Rover
- Rivian
- Jeep
Consumer Reports said Jeep was last for the third consecutive year, citing below-average brand reliability, the lowest average road-test score in its testing, and the lowest owner-satisfaction score among the brands. These are the publication’s explanations for Jeep’s position, not a verdict on every Jeep model. Consumer Reports’ 2026 Automotive Brand Report Card release.
What the brand ranking measures
Consumer Reports ranks manufacturers by averaging the Overall Scores for their new vehicles. Those scores combine four dimensions:
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- Road-test performance: CR evaluates vehicles through more than 50 tests, according to its methodology page updated in 2025.
- Predicted reliability: CR uses member survey reports of problems across 20 trouble areas.
- Owner satisfaction: Survey responses include whether owners would buy the same vehicle again.
- Safety: The methodology includes crash-test results and standard crash-prevention equipment.
The 2026 report’s underlying coverage was about 380,000 vehicles from the 2000 through 2025 model years, plus a few newly introduced 2026 models, according to CR’s 2025 release. The ranking therefore reflects the vehicles and data within that report’s scope, rather than a universal assessment of every model year or vehicle made by each brand. See CR’s brand-ranking methodology.
This is not a “least reliable” ranking
Overall brand quality and predicted reliability are related, but they are not interchangeable. The overall ranking incorporates road tests, reliability, owner satisfaction and safety; CR also publishes a separate reliability ranking focused on survey-reported vehicle problems.
For that distinct reliability list, CR describes a minimum data threshold: at least two models from at least two of the 2023, 2024, 2025 or early 2026 model years. Its reliability calculation is separate from the broader Overall Score. A brand’s position on one list should not be treated as its position on the other. Details are in CR’s new-car reliability explanation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to use the ranking when shopping
A brand position can help identify broad patterns, but it does not decide whether a particular vehicle is a good fit. Before buying, compare the exact model and model year on the same dimensions that contribute to CR’s score:
- Road-test results for the specific vehicle
- Predicted reliability for that model and year
- Owner satisfaction
- Safety ratings and crash-prevention equipment
CR cautions that specific-vehicle results matter. A low brand average does not establish that every vehicle in the lineup performs poorly, just as a high brand average cannot guarantee that every model is strong. Check the model-year scope of the information you use, especially when comparing a newly introduced vehicle with models that have longer histories.
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