2018 Buick Encore
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.2/10 | $22,990
The 2018 Buick Encore is a top-ranking subcompact SUV with high safety and predicted reliability ratings. It also comes with a handsome interior filled with a number of standard features. The Encore’s infotainment system is user friendly, and it seats five, with two adults comfortably fitting in the back seat. It is easy to drive and nimbly tackles city streets with ease.
2018 Toyota Yaris
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 7.4/10 | $15,635
For 2018, Toyota refreshed the Yaris, giving it new exterior and interior styling. It remains easy to maneuver through traffic, comes with a long list of standard safety and tech features, and has a cabin filled with soft-touch materials. The cargo area of the Yaris is easy to load, and the rear seat features a 60/40 split for cargo/passenger flexibility.
2018 Chevrolet Sonic
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.7/10 | $15,295
The 2018 Chevrolet Sonic has excellent predicted reliability and safety scores, and it was a finalist for our Best Subcompact Car for the Money award. The Sonic comes with a user-friendly infotainment system, comfortable seats, a spacious passenger area, and abundant cargo space. The model handles bumps in the road well and easily goes right where you point it in the corners.
2018 Kia Rio
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.7/10 | $13,900
The 2018 Kia Rio is one of the best subcompact cars you can buy. It was redesigned for the current model year and now features a user-friendly infotainment system, available Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and more safety tech than in the previous generation. The Rio comes with a long 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile basic warranty.
2018 Toyota Yaris iA
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.7/10 | $15,950
The 2018 Toyota Yaris iA is a highly rated subcompact car that was a finalist for our Best Subcompact Car for the Money award. It’s fun to drive, offering sharp steering and pointed handling. The Yaris iA achieves above-average fuel economy, comes with a long list of standard safety and tech features, and has a high-quality interior.
2018 Toyota C-HR
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 6.9/10 | $22,500
The Toyota C-HR is a new subcompact SUV in North America for the 2018 model year. It comes with a long list of standard safety features, seats five, and has a very high predicted reliability rating. Its comfortable handling and above-average cargo space help make the C-HR a model worth test driving.
2018 Ford Explorer
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.3/10 | $32,140
The Ford Explorer has undergone no major changes for 2018 and continues to offer an attractive package to midsize SUV shoppers. The model seats seven with standard bench seats in the second and third rows. It has a large rear cargo area and abundant passenger space. The Explorer’s four-cylinder and two V6 engines deliver satisfying power.
2018 Buick Enclave
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.7/10 | $39,995
The Buick Enclave was redesigned for 2018 and was a finalist for our Best 3-Row SUV for Families award. It offers a spacious passenger area that is quiet. The Buick rides comfortably over rough roads and has composed handing. Families will appreciate the Enclave’s roomy cargo area and easy-to-use infotainment system.
2018 Toyota Camry
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 9.3/10 | $23,645
The Toyota Camry was redesigned for the 2018 model year and has won our Best Midsize Car for the Money and Best Midsize Car for Families awards. It comes with a long list of standard safety features and a user-friendly infotainment system. Toyota has improved engine performance over the last generation, and added more enjoyable driving dynamics.
2018 Toyota Sequoia
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.2/10 | $48,600
The 2018 Toyota Sequoia is one of the best large SUVs you can buy. It was a finalist for our Best Large SUV for Families award. Among its highlights are its roomy interior, above-average cargo space, seating for eight, and a third-row that fits adults. The Sequoia comes equipped with a capable V8 and a long list of standard safety features. Rear-wheel drive is standard, with four-wheel drive available.
2018 Toyota Tundra
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 7.3/10 | $31,320
The 2018 Toyota Tundra is capable family hauler for weekend warriors. For 2018, Toyota eliminated the regular cab option and TRD Pro trim.
The Tundra offers spacious rear seats, a user-friendly infotainment system, and good off-road prowess. It cost more than many of its rivals, but it also comes with more standard features.
2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.8/10 | $28,300
The 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is the last model before a complete redesign for 2019, but it is still offering a lot of bang for your buck. For 2018, Chevrolet made a rearview camera standard and the mild-hybrid eAssist package available for LTZ and LT trims nationwide. Its upscale cabin, user-friendly infotainment system, good towing capacity, and powerful V8 engines are among the truck’s many highlights.
2018 Kia Sportage
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.6/10 | $23,600
The 2018 Kia Sportage is a compact SUV that offers a lot of features families are looking for. It has two rows of roomy seating, a long warranty, an upscale interior in high trim levels, and available all-wheel drive. The Sportage is easy to drive and park, plus it rides smoothly over rough streets.
2018 Ford Escape
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.7/10 | $23,940
The 2018 Ford Escape is one of the best compact SUVs you can buy. It has excellent safety ratings, engaging handling, a high-end interior, above-average cargo space, and an easy-to-use infotainment system. The Escape seats five and comes in a new SEL trim for 2018.
2018 Toyota Tacoma
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.9/10 | $25,400
The Toyota Tacoma is an excellent compact pickup truck that has high safety ratings and new driver assistance features for the 2018 model year. It’s extremely capable off road, has a user-friendly infotainment system, and seats five. The Tacoma has a higher payload than most of its rivals.
2018 Toyota Corolla iM
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 7.8/10 | $18,850
The 2018 Corolla iM hatchback comes loaded with standard features. It is well-behaved on the road, seats five, and has an above-average cargo capacity. The Corolla iM has not undergone any major changes for 2018. The model comes with a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.
2018 Toyota Corolla
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.3/10 | $18,600
The 2018 Toyota Corolla is a compact sedan that has very good safety and predicted reliability ratings. It hasn’t received any major changes for 2018 and continues to deliver great fuel efficiency. The Corolla comes equipped with an easy-to-use infotainment system and seating for five.
2018 Toyota Prius Prime
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.3/10 | $27,300
The 2018 Toyota Prius Prime is the only plug-in hybrid electric vehicle on this list. The current generation’s model debuted in 2017 and hasn’t received any major changes for 2018. It delivers excellent fuel economy and smoothly transitions from electric to gasoline power. The four-seater come with a long list of standard features.
2018 Chevrolet Cruze
Reliability Score: 4.5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.5/10 | $16,975
The Chevrolet Cruze is an engaging car to drive. It has a diverse model lineup that includes a sedan, a hatchback, and a diesel model. The 2018 Cruze comes with a feature-filled infotainment system and a long list of standard equipment. It delivers excellent fuel economy and a quiet, comfortable ride. The five-seater has achieved high safety ratings.
2018 Ford Expedition
Reliability Score: 5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 9.4/10 | $51,790
The redesigned 2018 Ford Expedition is one of the best large SUVs you can buy. It was the winner of our Best Large SUV for Families award. It has a powerful engine, an upscale cabin, three rows of spacious seating, and gobs of cargo space. The Expedition seats eight and delivers best-in-class towing capacity.
2018 Kia Soul
Reliability Score: 5/5 | U.S. News Overall Score: 9.1/10 | $16,200
The Kia Soul hatchback has undergone no major improvements for 2018. However, it still came out on top as the winner of our Best Compact Car for the Money award because of its mix of quality and value. It has a spacious five-seat cabin, abundant cargo space, an upscale interior design, and a long warranty.
More Shopping Tools From U.S. News & World Report
Did any of these reliable vehicles pique your interest? If so, see how they match up against the competition. You might also want to check out our new car, truck, and SUV rankings page. There, we have dependability information for almost every vehicle on the market.
If you’re thinking of leasing a vehicle, many of these reliable cars are offered for low monthly payments on our lease deals page. If buying a car is more your style, peruse our new car deals page.
Use our Best Price Program to find the best deal on the new car of your choice in your area. Customers save an average of $3,106 on their purchase using our program.
The Most Reliable New Cars in 2018
- 2018 Buick Encore - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Toyota Yaris - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Chevrolet Sonic - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Kia Rio - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Toyota Yaris iA - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Toyota C-HR - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Ford Explorer - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Buick Enclave - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Toyota Camry - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Toyota Sequoia - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Toyota Tundra - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Kia Sportage - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Ford Escape - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Toyota Tacoma - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Toyota Corolla iM - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Toyota Corolla - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Toyota Prius Prime - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Chevrolet Cruze - Reliability Score: 4.5/5
- 2018 Ford Expedition - Reliability Score: 5/5
- 2018 Kia Soul - Reliability Score: 5/5
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These Are the Most Reliable Cars, Trucks, and SUVs You Can Buy
A car can look and drive well, but if it’s not reliable, you won’t enjoy your time behind the wheel.
We use J.D. Power predicted reliability ratings for our new car rankings. J.D. Power rates vehicles for predicted reliability with a statistically-derived formula that uses their Initial Quality Study and past Vehicle Dependability Study results. Those predicted reliability scores help determine an overall score for each vehicle in our rankings.
Because good quality doesn’t just apply to one type of vehicle, the models on this list are cars, trucks, and SUVs. They are made by a variety of automakers, including Kia, Toyota, and Chevrolet (like the Cruze, which is pictured above). Contrary to what you may think, the most reliable vehicles aren’t necessarily the costliest.
Read on to find out which new vehicles are the most dependable.