Consumer Reports Rates the Most Reliable Cars for 2011

Honda, Subaru and Toyota remain the most well-regarded brands, but Ford and Volvo are coming on strong.

Honda is the most reliable, with Subaru close behind. The Acura MDX, Honda Fit and the Subaru Legacy scored near the top of the their individual vehicle segments with above-average reliability.

Ford was the biggest mover of the year — last year it ranked 11th out of 14 — and is now ranked fifth, ahead of Hyundai but behind Volvo.

That's mainly the result of continued improvements in reliability and road-test scores.

While General Motors saw its score improve, it still has a long way to catch up with Ford, let alone the top Asian automakers.

Chrysler remains the lowest-ranked manufacturer in the survey, with only the four-wheel-drive Ram 1500 being recommended by Consumer Reports.

Mercedes-Benz had the least reliable vehicles in three vehicle categories, and six of its 13 vehicles have below-average reliability. BMW also suffers from poor reliability which might come as a surprise to most readers.

(Overall score out of a possible 100)

1. Honda (74)
2. Subaru (73)
3. Toyota (71)
4. Volvo (68)
5. Ford (67)
6. Hyundai (66)
7. Mazda (65)
8. Nissan (65)
9. Volkswagen (63)
10. Mercedes-Benz (57)
11. BMW (57)
12. General Motors (56)
13. Chrysler (43)