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Subaru Touts New Vehicle Longevity But Now Only Ranks 7th In Reliability

What are the most reliable car brands today? In a new study, Subaru only ranks seventh in vehicles on the road with over 200,000 miles. Here's why.

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In an updated report from iSeeCars, they list the best car brands for long-term reliability. To find out, iSeeCars analyzed which car brands display long-term reliability and are most likely to last 200,000 miles. If you drive an average of 13,000 miles annually, the best vehicles will last about fifteen years.

Where does Subaru rank?

Subaru touts that they have the most cars still on the road. According to Experian, 96 percent of Subaru vehicles sold in the last ten years are still on the road today. They say it's more than Honda or Toyota brands. It's based on Experian Automotive vehicles in operation versus total new registrations for the model year 2012-2021 as of December 2021.

2022 Subaru model reliability
photo credit: Competition Subaru

The iSeeCars study looks further at the car brands that have the percentage of a car brand's vehicles that have over 200,000 miles. In this report, Subaru is seventh on the list and has 0.8 percent of its vehicle lineup with over 200,00 miles on the odometer, which is below the average of all car brands at 1.2 percent.

Which car brands are the best?

The report reveals the car brands with the most significant percentage of cars with over 200,000 miles are Toyota (2.3%), Honda (1.9%), GMC (1.8%), Chevrolet (1.6%), and Ford (1.5%), above the average of all vehicles.

2022 Subaru model reliability

Subaru moves up one spot from last year

Subaru gets an iSeeCars honorable mention. The iSeeCars study says. "Earning an honorable mention is Subaru, known for its safe vehicles and brand loyalty among customers. The Subaru Outback and Subaru Forester rank highly for long-term reliability, and the brand scores above average for value retention."

What sets Subaru apart?

iSeeCars says, "Subaru vehicles also offer standard all-wheel drive on all their vehicles from small cars to SUVs, which make them practical options for drivers who require all-weather vehicles."

2022 Subaru model reliability

Are Subaru models reliable?

A new report from S&P Global's recent research data reveals that 96 percent of all Subaru models sold over the last ten years are still on the road. The data is based on IHS Markit research on vehicles in operation as of June 30, 2022, for model years 2013 to 2022 versus the total new registrations of those vehicles. The data does not say how many miles the Subaru vehicles have on the odometer.

So which report better reflects Subaru's reliability?

The extended mileage studies can be misleading because Subaru has fewer vehicle offerings (nine models) than any car brand giving the big automakers an advantage. Toyota has thirty-six models in its lineup, and Ford has thirty-four offerings, making it much easier with many more models to hit the 200,000-mile mark. The same is true for Honda, Chevrolet, and GMC with their extensive vehicle lineups.

Overall, the Subaru brand has reliable all-wheel-drive SUVs. The latest Consumer Reports study says the Subaru Crosstrek subcompact SUV and Forester compact SUV have better than average reliability. The Subaru Outback also scores high in recent reliability scores. The Ascent 3-Row SUV scores the lowest in reliability in the lineup because of transmission issues in the 2019 and 2020 model years.

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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: Subaru

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