Toyota Slips A Few Rungs On The Reliability Ladder

By Gilbert Smith

It’s the most exciting time of the year, if you’re a nerd for reliability stats like us, that is. J.D. Power has just released its 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Survey, ranking automakers and cars by dependability, and pointing out key trends and findings based on the data. This stuff definitely comes in handy if you’re in the market for a new vehicle, or if you want to win an argument with your buddy and prove whether Chevies really are more reliable than Fords.

The biggest surprise this year may be that, despite the brand’s reputation for reliability, Toyota didn’t even make the top five. The Japanese giant still clears the bar as an above-average automaker in terms of reliability, but its eighth-place ranking means it’s fallen four spots from number four at the start of 2025. So, which brands are climbing up the ranks? Let’s dig in and find out.

Note

The following overview is based on data provided by J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Survey. Any extrapolations, opinions, or projections provided thereupon are those of the author, unless otherwise stated.

Lexus Is Still Number One

The more things change, the more they stay the same. While Toyota may have fallen a few spots in the rankings, Lexus and Buick hold first and second place, respectively, just like they did a year ago. J.D. Power ranks automakers by average number of problems per 100 vehicles, or PP100, with the following brands having cleared the industry average of 204 PP100. We’ve also included each brand’s respective PP100 rating for 2025.

If 151 problems per 100 vehicles sounds like a lot for a top-ranked automaker, remember that J.D. Power is looking at frequency, not severity. 151 problems per 100 vehicles doesn’t mean every single vehicle is experiencing transmission failure, and half of them are experiencing it twice, it means that you’ve got a 151% chance of experiencing, say, peeling paint, or a broken window switch, or a touchscreen software malfunction.

Buick ranks first for mainstream, while Lexus ranks first for luxury brands, and overall. Ranking first is especially impressive for a luxury brand, for the simple fact that these models have a lot more bells and whistles than their downmarket counterparts. That is, an entry-level Lexus ES may feature standard passenger power seats, but a Toyota Camry does not. No matter how reliable a Lexus may be, that’s just one more thing that can break, meaning one more potential point against the car in the J.D. Power roundup.

Some of the brands that made the top 12 have improved by leaps and bounds since this time a year ago. Mini jumped from 10th place to third with a 28-point improvement in its PP100 rating, and Hyundai finally cleared the bar after an underwhelming 19th-place ranking for 2025. Other brands, like Toyota, slipped in the ratings, while Lexus and Buick maintain the top spots despite reporting higher PP100s today than they did 12 months ago.

The Cars That Made The Difference

While the legendary Toyota may have fallen out of the top five in terms of overall reliability by brand, the automaker nevertheless scooped up an armful of recognitions from J.D. Power across several segments. To run down some key winners by segment, along with their latest available Quality & Reliability ratings.

While Buick ranked second overall for reliability, the brand only scored a single award by segment for 2026, or half an award, seeing as the Buick Enclave has to share it with the Toyota 4Runner. Toyota, meanwhile, scored five (or four and a half) places in the winners circle, with Lexus grabbing three spots.

Toyota’s Commitment To Hybridization May Have Cost Them A Few Ranks This Year

If the awards by model don’t perfectly line up with the top 12 list by brand, it’s because the leading automakers simply maintained a higher average across the board. Buick might only have one award-winning model, for instance, but there isn’t a single Buick scoring a Q&R rating below 70/100 in their latest reviews, and three of the brand’s four current models earned an 84/100 or better. They just happened to be up against some stiff competition in their respective segments.

While we don’t have access to all of J.D. Power’s math in determining their winners, our theory as to why Toyota ranked eighth overall with more award-winning models than anyone else is simple: The company is more committed to hybridization than any other brand on this list, recently scrapping the combustion-only Toyota RAV4 entirely. Hybrids naturally score higher PP100 ratings, because you have both the electric and combustion engine components to maintain.

Sources: J.D. Power.

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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.