Tesla, Jeep, Genesis, and Volkswagen among the most unreliable car brands – report

The same study found Lexus, Mazda, and Toyota suffered the fewest mechanical faults during the first years of use.

Ford subsidiary Lincoln was rated as the least reliable marque outright, however its line-up is not currently offered Down Under.

While Consumer Reports is widely referenced as a source, the website does not clearly (and currently) reveal the methodology used to collate its data. This raises some question about the true accuracy of the report.

Further, the line-ups of the above brands are not identical across all markets. The study specifically pertains to US-delivered vehicles.

Tesla has historically received criticism for perceived build quality flaws, however its contemporary Chinese-made cars (the only ones currently offered in Australia) have proven to generally have better fit and finish than earlier US-built examples.

Genesis vehicles share many of their parts with Hyundai cars, however despite the former brand’s more upmarket positioning and higher prices, the two marques finished 14 places apart (in 11th and 25th respectively).