You may just now be realizing that Mazda seems to come up quite a bit lately at the top of many expert review lists. Mazda continues to innovate with top-rated vehicles in reliability and safety. One of the latest gems Mazda can add to its crown comes from Consumer Reports. Based on its portfolio for 2020, Mazda is ranked as the most reliable brand of the year. If it’s been some time since you last gave a second thought to what Mazda brings to the table, it may be time to reconsider. The 2020 lineup may impress you just as much as it has Consumer Reports.

A big honor among steep competition

It’s one thing for an automaker to earn a ‘best of’ award for one of the vehicles in its lineup. But when a company lands at the top of the most reliable brand list, that transcends far beyond a good running car. Consumer Reports evaluated cars, SUVs, minivans, and trucks for 2020 with every badge.

Subaru, Toyota, Kia, Ford, and even Tesla performed well among consumers and with the CR engineers. The competition is fierce in the reliability category, making Mazda’s recent honor that much sweeter of a victory.

The Mazda report card

As part of the Consumer Reports 2020 vehicle evaluation, the experts compiled a brand report card in several categories. Mazda, as previously mentioned, earns the spot as the most reliable of all brands. The best brand overall is Porsche, while the best overall mainstream brand award goes to Subaru.

Two of the worst on this report card for road testing and overall were Mitsubishi and Fiat, respectively. The top three CR brand recommendations overall include Mazda, Porsche, and Genesis.

What it means to be the best in predicted reliability

To name the most reliable brand of all automakers, Consumer Reports compiles scores based on a variety of evaluations. There are four critical factors that contribute to a brand’s overall score, which include a vehicle’s performance in a road test, owner satisfaction survey results, safety ratings, and overall reliability.

The road test puts two models from each brand through 50 paces. The CR customer surveys add to the scores for those models that owners agreed to recommend or would buy again. Safety evaluations include crash testing results along with the availability of advanced safety features. Reliability is scored based on the ownership experiences and satisfaction reports for 17 key trouble areas. To be the most reliable brand overall means overachieving in each of these areas with more than one vehicle.

A few 2020 Mazda vehicles that beg to be driven

If the Mazda portfolio is unfamiliar to you or it’s been a while since you’ve set eyes on the lineup, there are a few models that beg to be driven. Both the Mazda3 and the Mazda6 are top performers for CR and sing the praises of other expert reviewers. They offer more upscale touchpoints and are fun to drive. Consumers endorse their reliability, fuel economy, and owner satisfaction.

If a crossover suits your lifestyle best, the CX-30 has recently earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award. The Mazda CX-3, all-new CX-30, and CX-5 are topping many of the expert review rankings as well for performance, standard equipment, and overall value.

If you had to name the top three automaker brands that top your list of the most reliable, would Mazda have made the cut? For Consumer Reports, Mazda has earned its stripes and outperformed the others in a battery of tests. One thing’s for sure – Mazda is a brand that is worth a second look. When it comes to reliability in 2020, there’s only one brand at the top.