
The models below are the ones we would recommend to our friends and family. The most reliable vehicle is highlighted, with other highly rated models listed beneath it in order of their reliability ratings.
Each has standard electronic stability control, an important safety feature. Many are also available with active safety features such as forward collision warning (FCW), automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind spot warning (BSW), and/or rear cross traffic warning (RCTW) as optional or standard equipment.
These vehicles performed well in our tests when new and consistently demonstrated multiple years of much-better-than-average reliability in our Annual Auto Surveys for the 2010 to 2024 model years.
Of course, even for the used cars we recommend, there can be outliers. Maybe a former owner didn’t care much for car maintenance, or there was a problem at the factory the week the car rolled off the line. Before you buy, make sure to pay for a thorough inspection by a certified mechanic so that there are no surprises down the road.
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See the Used Car Top Picks and Which Brands Make the Best Used Cars?