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Mazda tops 'Consumer Reports' Best Auto Brands ranking for first time

And, oddly enough, it's joined in the top ten by more non-luxury automakers than usual

Coleman Molnar
Feb 19, 2021  •  April 28, 2021  •  2 minute read  •  Join the conversation
2021 Mazda CX-30
2021 Mazda CX-30 Photo by Justin Pritchard /Driving

Mazda rose three places in the annual Consumer Reports Best Automotive Brands listing this year to claim the crown. All hail Queen Zoom Zoom!

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The Japanese brand scored a total of 80 points in the ranking, beating out its higher-end German competitors, including BMW, which rose five spots to second place with 78 points; and last year’s victor Porsche, which tied Subaru for third place at 76 points.  

CR builds its report card by “looking at the Overall Score for each model, factoring in road-test performance, predicted reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety,” and then getting an average of it all. 

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This year, the top ten includes more mid-tier automakers than usual, with half of the list being occupied by non-luxury brands. Honda is up ten spots this year to land in fifth, while Chrysler and Buick also leapt ten each to place eighth and ninth, respectively.  

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On the other end of the spectrum, Lincoln fared the worst, plummeting 15 spots due to “subpar predicted reliability” to settle at 28th of 32. Genesis also tanked, falling 13 spots from 2nd to 15th this year. 

Mazda was also given the top spot in Consumer Report’s Most Reliable New Car Brands of 2020 , but that placement did have a footnote that may also be coming into play here. Unlike many other brands, Mazda doesn’t currently have any electric vehicles considered in its Consumer Reports calculations, meaning it’s not taking on as many risky developmental challenges as some other brands — like Tesla, for example. 

2021 Tesla Model Y

That EV-only carmaker took a big hit on the rankings this year, too, falling five spots to land in the middle of the bunch at 16th, thanks in large part to owner satisfaction surveys filled out over issues like tablet malfunctions, shoddy manufacturing, and so on. Such is the cost of rapid innovation.

Mazda’s strategy is basically the opposite of Tesla’s; it’s doing what it knows and doing it well. And for now at least, that works. 

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