When it comes to vehicle reliability in 2021, you can do no better than Lexus. The Japanese luxury automaker has come out on top, taking the gold in both J.D. Power’s ALG Residual Value awards and the 2021 Auto Reliability Data report from Consumer Reports.
Taking the top spot in the Consumer Reports aggregation of over 300,000 vehicles, the Lexus GX sport-utility vehicle emerged as the most reliable new vehicle overall with a perfect score of 100.
Reliability scores are calculated on a zero-to-100-point scale based on survey data for select models. According to Consumer Reports, the average SUV score is 50, second to the category for cars, which lands at 57 on average.
Consumer Reports revealed that among the four other top brands, Mazda, Toyota, Infiniti and Buick respectively, Lexus models ranked with an average or higher reliability for the 2021 year.
Lexus also brought home the top spot for best premium residual values in the ALG Residual Value Awards, sharing the spotlight with Honda as brand winners.
“Accurately forecasting residual values in the auto industry is a key factor in assessing an estimated $225 billion lease portfolio of vehicles in the United States,” said Eric Lyman, vice president of ALG. “The brands and vehicle models that rise to the top demonstrate that they score well across the award program’s criteria, including manufacturers’ superior design and quality.”
The decision for this year’s awards were based on 284 models, using the criteria of used-vehicle performance, brand outlook and product competitiveness. While Lexus was only able to produce one segment-winning model out of the required four entries, its high earnings in points landed the luxury manufacturer in the top spot.
“The achievement of Lexus speaks to an impressive, industry-leading continuity of residual value across its entire lineup,” Lyman said. “It’s like a decathlete who wins only one of the 10 individual events but scores enough points in each of them to stand atop the podium.”