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CR Ranks The Most And Least Loved Car Brands - Subaru Scores Top 5 Again

A new study from Consumer Reports reveals the most and least liked car brands. See why Subaru outscores its top rivals, Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda.

How satisfied are owners of Subaru vehicles like the 2023 Crosstrek, Outback, Forester, and other new all-wheel-drive models? The updated study from Consumer Reports (by subscription) ranks the most liked and the least liked car brands. Like last year's rankings in customer satisfaction, Subaru outscores its top rivals, Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda.

Consumer Reports uses the results from owner surveys to come up with its scores. One scoring category is determined by asking owners, "would you buy this car again if given a chance?" Other important categories include comfort, driving enjoyment, cabin storage, infotainment, and ownership cost scores.

2023 Subaru most liked car brand
photo credit: Alison Subaru

CR's ratings and scores for the factors were determined based on the percentage of owners who said they were very satisfied with their vehicles.

What are the most liked car brands?

Here are the top ten most like brands from the latest CR report. Porsche ranks number one with a score of 83, Genesis (80), Tesla (78), BMW (73), Subaru (73), Lexus (72), Toyota (72), Dodge (71), Ford (70), and Hyundai (70) round out the top ten automakers.

2023 Subaru most liked car brand
photo credit: Alison Subaru

What are Subaru's strengths?

Consumer Reports says, "This Japanese automaker has long been synonymous with unpretentious, practical, and affordable all-wheel-drive vehicles. Subarus have done well in our testing, thanks to roomy interiors, easy access, great visibility, intuitive controls, good fuel economy, and a comfortable ride. Subaru's first-ever electric vehicle, the Solterra SUV, gets an estimated 228 miles of range. Its only non-AWD model is the BRZ sports coupe, developed with Toyota. Subarus have fared well in our reliability surveys, consistently ranking in top-10 of all manufacturers."

What are the least-liked car brands?

The bottom dwellers and six least-liked car brands are Jeep (63), Cadillac (59), Nissan (59), Mercedes-Benz (57), Volkswagen (56), and Infiniti (50).

Where does Subaru score highest with owners?

The Subaru brand scores among the best in ownership cost, which includes fuel, insurance, maintenance, and repairs to the vehicle. Subaru is the fourth most-satisfying car brand in this category.

According to Kelley Blue Books (KBB), 2022 5-Year Cost-to-Own Awards, Subaru has three SUVs that score among the top five lowest cost-to-own SUVs. KBB says the Subaru Forester compact SUV, Subaru Outback 2-Row midsize SUV, and Subaru Ascent 3-Row midsize SUV are the best in their class.

Consumer Reports says an automaker that consistently earns high satisfaction scores across its lineup has a track record of solid redesigns and brand-new models that fulfill owner expectations.

Subaru of America recently brought the all-new Wilderness outdoor-themed Outback and Forester to customers with active lifestyles. It's a significant way Subaru fulfills owner expectations. Subaru also brought the newly-upgraded 2023 Outback midsize SUV, Ascent 3-Row SUV, and Legacy midsize sedan to its U.S. customers.

The CR study says new Subaru models like the 2023 Crosstrek, Outback, Forester, and other new models are well-liked by their owners. Subaru is the number five most-liked car brand and outscores top rivals Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda again.

You can check out the complete 2023 Subaru model guide at the link below.

You Might Also Like: The Updated Complete 2023 Subaru Model Guide And What’s Coming This Year

Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report, where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Photo credit: Alison Subaru