Lexus Earns Top Honors In Consumer Reports 2013 Ratings, US Carmakers Edged Out Of Top 10

By Carey Vanderborg | February 26 2013 2:04 PM

Consumer Reports has released its annual car brand report card, and Lexus has won best in show for 2013, with the Japanese automaker acquiring the top score in the ranking of car brands and vehicles.

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The Lexus CT200h is one of five hybrid models offered by Toyota's luxury brand.
Reuters

Consumer Reports has released its annual car brand report card and Lexus has won best in show for 2013 as the Japanese automaker acquired the top score in the ranking of car brands and vehicles.

The magazine, which recommends 100 percent of the Lexus vehicles it has tested, rewarded the company with a score of 79 for its “plush and very reliable vehicles.”

"That is quite a feat for a brand whose cars are brimming with technology including impressive hybrid drivetrains and complicated infotainment systems," Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports, said in a statement.

Japanese brands continued to dominate the ratings, as a total of eight of the top 10 spots were earned by automakers representing the country, including Subaru and Mazda, which both tied for second with scores of 76. Toyota and Acura brands round out the top five with a report card score of 74.

While none of the domestic automakers made the top 10, Cadillac -- helped by good marks for its sedans -- did the best at No. 14.

Other General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) nameplates and almost everything from Chrysler suffered from inconsistent reliability. Dodge ranked the lowest of any brand, followed by Jeep and Chrysler.

Consumer Reports rated each automaker's individual brands rather than calculating a single score for all the brands under one carmaker. For example, Toyota, Lexus, and Scion models were each scored separately this year instead of being incorporated into one overall score for Toyota. 2013 was the first year the magazine took that approach to scoring.