4 European Car Brands Named the Most Reliable of 2025
Written by
G. Brian Davis
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
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Americans tend to associate European car brands with luxury or performance — but not necessarily reliability. But some European automakers have made great strides in recent years on reliability, and therefore, worth for your money.
Try these four brands that combine a smooth ride and minimal maintenance. You can also read about the least reliable European car brands this year.
Porsche
Wait, what? For decades, Porsches had a reputation for spending six months out of the year in the shop.
“Porsche leads reliability rankings due to its reputation for excellent engineering practices,” explained Alan Gelfand of German Car Depot. “The 911 Carrera stands out as a top model because of its outstanding performance results in technical inspection evaluations.”
It’s no exaggeration: Porsche ranked as the most reliable European brand in J.D. Power‘s 2025 dependability study. They also scored the title of “Best Luxury Brand” in 2025 by U.S. News and World Report.
Mini
While they don’t have the same power or pizzazz as Porches, Minis also don’t come with the same price tag.
The brand topped WhatCar‘s reliability rankings in 2024, and placed third on J.D. Power’s list. If you’re looking for an ultra-compact urban car, look no further than Mini.
BMW
The “ultimate driving machine” has started living up to its marketing.
“BMW pleasantly surprised the world by addressing tech issues and engine problems formerly synonymous with the marque,” notes Alex Black of car research platform EpicVIN. “They, at last, perfected the blend of performance and dependability.”
Sure enough, J.D. Power ranked BMW as the second most reliable European car brand. Black added that EpicVIN maintenance report statistics and user feedback show BMWs have achieved remarkable reliability improvements.
Audi
While J.D. Power didn’t offer Audi much love in their study, Consumer Reports ranked the German luxury brand first among European carmakers in 2025.
The Audi Q2 tied for third most reliable car in the world for two-to-three year-old car recalls, in the 2025 TÜV Report. Among four-to-five year-old cars, both the Q2 and the A3 made the top ten list for fewest recall issues in the world.
Check out Audi as a viable and reliable alternative to BMW among German luxury cars.
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