Fuel-efficient vehicles are a very reliable segment overall, European cars are improving, and, on average, Ford continues to build the most reliable American cars. These are the key findings from Consumer Reports latest Annual Car Reliability Survey. This year we had responses on more than 1.4 million vehicles (model years 1999 to 2008) owned or leased by our subscribers.

A total of nine hybrid models for which we have sufficient data rated above average in predicted reliability, most from Japanese automakers. From the Family Cars category, the Toyota Prius, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the Nissan Altima Hybrid, as well as the luxury Lexus GS 450h Hybrid sedan are all among the most reliable. The Lexus RX 400h and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid are among the most reliable in midsized SUVs, while the Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid small SUVs rated above average in predicted reliability. The Honda Civic Hybrid is also above average. In addition, conventional gas sippers such as the Honda Fit, Scion xD, Smart ForTwo, and Toyota Yaris had few problems. 

Ford’s three nameplates – Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury – lead the domestic automakers and continue to pull away from the rest of Detroit.  Except for some truck-based vehicles, almost all Ford products are now average or better. Excluding those, Ford’s reliability is now on par with good Japanese automakers. The Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan continued to rank among the most reliable family cars. The freshened Ford Focus sedan rated above average, a vast improvement from when the new model debuted in 2000 with below-average reliability.

European automakers, particularly Mercedes-Benz, showed signs of a comeback. Six Mercedes models, including the redesigned C-Class and E-Class (V6) sedans and the ML350 SUV have improved to average reliability and are now recommended. Last year, no Mercedes models had average or better reliability and so could not be recommended.

Still, Japanese cars are the most reliable overall, leading 15 of 16 categories in Consumer Reports’ predicted reliability ratings. The Scion xD has the best predicted reliability score for all new cars with about 80% fewer problems than the average model.

Check out our full reliability history charts and predicted reliability on hundreds of 2009 models, plus a list of what’s up and what’s down, best and worst models, and a comparison chart of brands (for subscribers).