The 5 Car Brands Named the Least Reliable of 2025

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Consumer Reports has run the numbers on more than 300,000 vehicles and found that there are five automakers that, in 2025, are found to be the least reliable when it comes to making cars. Safety, value and other factors all contributed to these brands making the cut for the bottom of the list when it comes to reliability in a ride.

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In the market for a new car? Avoid these five car brands that are the least reliable in 2025, especially the vehicles from each automaker that dinged their rankings.

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Volkswagen

Models like the Taos, which was ranked as the very least reliable automotive in Consumer Reports’ survey, drags Volkswagen as a brand. The data found that Taos owners had issues with the engine head gasket, electrical accessories and the brakes on the car.

“Taos has not been without its issues, for sure,” commented Alex Black, the chief marketing officer at EpicVIN. “We’ve heard reports of electrical issues, engine oddities and brake problems. That’s in line with what CR is saying. VW quality can vary wildly by model — some are fine, others appear half-baked.”

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Jeep

There are lots of loyal customers to Jeep. However, owners of the Grand Cherokee are not so happy with the unreliability of their car, which had problems in the climate and drive systems, as well as steering vibrations and harness replacement. The list of problems continued with more drives of the Grand Cherokee citing issues with body hardware, electrical accessories and leaks. Plus, there were a few unexplained and disturbing noises respondents mentioned in the survey.

According to Black, Jeep has been on the unreliable list for years, and the Grand Cherokee is usually the culprit.

“I’ve worked with enough of them at dealerships and auctions to know they can be hit-or-miss, especially after they rack up miles. That steering and suspension wear? Totally real,” added Black.

GMC

What earns GMC a spot on this list is the brand’s midsize pickup: The Canyon.

Some issues reported to Consumer Reports included engine problems and malfunctioning of in-car electronics. The real ding against the Canyon came from the full hardware replacement problem of the infotainment system, which ended up being very costly.

“Canyon engine and electronics issues are no shock,” noted Black. “GM trucks used to be bulletproof, but some of the newer tech in these mid-size pickups has been giving folks trouble.”

Cadillac

While the brand might be known for class, Cadillac’s all electric model, the Lyriq, is in a class of its own with problems. Drivers told Consumer Report that the electric vehicle battery was known to be a source of problems, along with the electronic accessories, including interior features in the cabin.

“Battery issues and infotainment bugs are totally normal in first-generation electric vehicles. No shade — just the nature of rushing new tech to market,” Black mentioned.

Rivian

What makes Rivian different from other car brands is that it only makes all electric cars and unfortunately, it also ranked as Consumer Reports worst brand in 2025. The automakers only two models, the R1T pick up truck and R1S sport utility vehicle, both had low scores from drivers in the survey.

“This hurts, ’cause I like Rivian. But yeah, we’ve heard from owners about battery problems, charging bugs, and general electrical gremlins,” explained Black. “They’re making cool stuff, but they’re still learning.”

The R1T was found to have problems related to the EV batteries and charging system, which sometimes involved EV battery pack replacement. The car’s climate system and electrical accessories also did not meet many drivers’ baseline standards.

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