Top Ten Most Reliable Cars Articles: All of Them

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Disclaimer: I claim no expertise when it comes to just about anything. I'm just a dude that likes cars.

Recently I wrote a series of short articles about the ten most reliable cars. In the comments I noticed that a lot of people complained that such and such a car wasn't included when in fact it was included in a separate article. So, I've decided to write this article and include all ten cars that made the top ten list.

And I also made a mistake about Mazda that I corrected in this version.

I researched several different sources for the top ten most reliable cars and chose the cars that appeared the most often. The makes and models were generally the same, but the years varied quite a bit

Even though the comments on my articles were sometimes made by complete jerks and idiots, there are actually quite a few that are really interesting and worth reading for these articles. Many people have had excellent luck with lots of different makes and models of cars. I was surprised by some of the cars that were mentioned that have gone 200k miles or more.

I've covered Muscle Cars from the 1960s and 1970s I like, Muscle Cars that had the best performance, cars that I have owned, fast cars that I have driven, and even classic VWs that I think are cool most recently.

But how about cars that will run the longest? Which cars can you put the most miles on before they reach their limit?

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this Volvo has the most miles of any privately owned car in history.

While a Volvo that goes over 3 million miles sounds really cool, I think realistically for most people 200-300 thousand miles is probably what we can expect from an extremely durable and reliable car these days if we are lucky.

So, what are some of the most reliable cars? According to my research these are three of the top ten most reliable cars ever built.

1990 Honda Civic

While Honda has built some pretty cool cars a stock 1990 Honda Civic probably wouldn't be the first one you thought of when it comes to cool cars. But if you are talking about built proof cars that never die then the Honda Civic will probably make the cut. 300,000 miles with just annual maintenance isn't out of the question for this car. And considering the fact that they go for between $500 and $5000 now you could potentially buy a great little car that could continue to run for a very long time even with 100,000 or more miles on it.

Mercedes-Benz W124

Not surprisingly, a lot of the cars in the top ten most reliable cars are Japanese. The W124 was the only German car to make the list and the only other European car on the list along with Volvo. It was also the only other luxury car along with a Lexus. The W124 was built from 1984 to 1997. From what I could tell any of those years will potentially run for 250-300k miles. They are pretty pricey though with an average price of $20,000 or so.

2013 Grand Jeep Cherokee

The only American car to make the list is the Jeep Cherokee. The 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee seemed to be considered one of the best. It was also the only other SUV on the list. According to the review Jeep Cherokees can go up to 300,000 miles without any major repairs. The 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokees range from $6000 to $20000.

If you are curious, this is one of the lists of the top 10 most reliable cars I pulled my picks from. I'm not in the market for a reliable used car, but if I was I would check the ones on this list out.

Top 10 Most Reliable Cars

In my last article about the most reliable cars ever several people were surprised I didn't include Toyota. They are on the top ten list three times actually, but I wanted to include three different models and makes in the first article.

So, in this article, I will include all three of the most reliable Toyota/Lexus vehicles ever built. Out of the nine cars I've owned seven were Japanese and two of them were Toyotas. One of them is actually on the list of top ten most reliable cars. Unfortunately, I didn't have as much luck with mine and had to sell it once it hit around 150k miles.

Toyota 4Runners are one of the most popular SUVs ever made. And for good reason. Properly maintained, which I didn't do with mine sadly, they have been known to run for 400k miles. I assume that doesn't include a lot of off-roading, but even if you do that with the property care they will still last a long time. I don't see older ones that often here in Japan, but when I'm in the US I still see them quite often. Mine was roomy and fun to drive.

2007 Toyota Camry

Are Toyota Camrys plain Jane and boring? Maybe, but it is also a car that averages 250k miles with basic maintenance. And these have been known to go for 500k miles. If that sort of reliability means boring so be it. I'll spend my weekends playing Bridge or Checkers all day if I can get a car that will run for 500k. Also, used these go for $5000-$10000. Not bad for a car that might last decades.

2006 Lexus ls430

If the Toyota Camry is the no-frills boring inexpensive sister then the Lexus is the polar opposite. These are expected to go for at least 250k miles with 400k miles being fairly common. Built from 2000 to 2006, these are still very popular.

The first three car makers I wrote about were Honda, Jeep, and Mercedes. This time I covered the Toyota/Lexus models on the list. The remaining four cars on the top ten list are all, surprise surprise, Japanese cars as well. So, to finish out the top ten list of most reliable cars ever made, I will cover those next. Thanks for reading.

Okay, here are the final four most reliable cars ever built (according to what I was able to find).

No surprise then that the final four on the list are mostly Japanese as well. And one more by way of Scandinavia, they build cars like the Vikings used to build ships I guess.

2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Poor Mazda, their glory days in the US have slipped And even when they were at the top of their game in the US a lot of people disliked the Mazda Miata. Love them or hate them though, if you want a sporty little two seater that will go for 300K miles or more the Miata can get the job done. The 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata in the video went for over 375K miles and is still going in fact. If I was in the market for a fun weekend cruiser that would run forever I might very well choose a Mazda Miata.

2010 Mitsubishi Lancer

Mitsubishi is another Japanese car company whose reputation has been somewhat tarnished not only in the US but Japan as well. At one time Mitsubishi was right up there with Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Subaru, but not these days. So, I was just as surprised to see them on this list as I was when I saw the Mazda Miata. Apparently, the Mitsubishi Lancer from 2008 on still has a great rep for reliability. 250K miles is pretty common.

Sounds good, but to be honest when I hear Mitsubishi Lancer this is the first thing that comes to mind for me. I'm sure they didn't go 250K miles, but they sure look and sound cool and I bet they were a lot more fun to drive.

2008-2012 Honda Accord

I assume when you do research into which year was the most reliable year for a car and everything basically says, "Any of these years will do." you can assume that the car is very reliable. No surprise then that both the Honda Civic and Honda Accord are on the top ten most reliable cars ever made list. In fact, 250K miles is essentially expected for a properly maintained Honda Accord with 400K miles or more not being unheard of. Another boring pick? Sure, but again I think for a 250K mile plus car I'd be more than happy with boring if it were my daily driver.

Volvo 900 (series)

If Swedish Vikings drove cars would they drive Volvos? Probably not unless they wanted to drive some of the most reliable cars ever made.

In my first article, I mentioned Irv Gordon's 1965 Volvo P1800 that went for over 3 million miles. The 900 series cars might not run for that many miles, but they are still an entire series of cars from 1990-1998 that will run for more than 300K with regular maintenance. Like the Honda Civic, Accord, and Toyota Camry mentioned early and in my previous articles, there is nothing sporty, flashy, or cool about these Volvos. They aren't exactly stylish either, but they can be somewhat luxurious with the right options. They are also rated as the safest brand of cars built. And they can be had for under $10K now, so not bad at all for a car that will last for at least 300K miles.

So that ends my little series of the most reliable cars ever made. I also wrote an article about three of the worst cars ever made. I will eventually write two more articles listing the seven other worst cars ever made in the near future. Hope you enjoyed this one.

Most likely, I will be putting together my other three articles about the worst and ugliest cars ever made soon.