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Mike Quincy is an expert among car experts. For nearly 20 years, he’s purchased, driven and evaluated cars for Consumer Reports.
The well-respected magazine and website has tested vehicles for decades, and it’s considered the automotive industry’s most objective resource.
Mike is our guest on episode #58 of The Weekly Driver podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Mike the publication’s recently released Most Reliable and Least Reliable vehicle lists for 2018.
As Mike details, Consumer Reports purchases all of its test vehicles. The publication’s annual reliability survey analyzes data in 17 areas from more than 500,000 vehicles. Areas for potential problems include interior wear-and-tear, transmission repairs and squeaky brakes.
Predictable results occur in the survey, so do surprises.
Volvo was the least reliable car in this year’s tabulations. The reason: The Swedish-made, Chinese-owned manufacturer dropped six places from last year and had an average reliability score of 22.
Tesla, which dropped six positions in the survey, had an average score of 32. The Model S had a below-average rating following suspension problems and a door handle issue.
This year, Toyota and its luxury sibling Lexus, reversed positions. Lexus got the top spot, with a reliability score of 78 and had six models in the study.
In addition to Consumer Reports’ results, Mike also shares with us his personal opinions about his favorite and not-so-favorite vehicles.
And he also answers the question Consumer Reports receives more than any other inquiry. He tells us what happens to the vehicles after they’re evaluated.
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Article Last Updated: November 8, 2018.
- About the Author
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
