Audi Tops CR’s Auto Brand Ranking Again

Audi leads as the U.S. auto market’s top brand for the second consecutive year, according to Consumer Report’s annual Brand Report Card.

The top five brands for 2017 are Audi (with a score of 81), Porsche (78) , BMW (77), Lexus (77) and Subaru (74). This year’s top domestic brand is Tesla in eighth. It bumped Buick, which dropped to 10th, for that honor after three years.

This year’s biggest gainers, each of which jumped six spots, are Acura (to 13th), Infiniti (to 16th) and Cadillac (to 18th).

At the bottom of the CR brand list, beginning with last-place Fiat (scoring 41), are Jeep (45), Mitsubishi (51), Land Rover (52) and Dodge (56).

The magazine also selected “top pick” models by segment. To win, a model must score well in road-test performance, reliability, safety and owner satisfaction. This year’s top-ranked models, led by Toyota with three wins, are:

• Toyota Yaris iA (subcompact car)
• Toyota Prius (compact hybrid)
• Chevrolet Cruze (compact car)
• Kia Optima (midsize sedan)
• Chevrolet Impala (large sedan)
• Mazda MX-5 Miata (sports car)

• Subaru Forester (small SUV)
• Toyota Highlander (midsize SUV)
• Audi Q7 (luxury SUV)

• Honda Ridgeline (compact pickup truck)