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Reliability, satisfaction, and test scores knock out these contenders
When you’re in the market for your next car, there’s a dizzying array of factors to consider. Road-test spectacle, fuel economy, safety, reliability, and price and proprietor costs are chief among them. These objective measures can help winnow down a field of prospects rather quickly, identifying a select few standout models. Here, we present the castaways—those models that you should filter out due to their exceptional shortcomings.
Based on our research and test drives, these are the ten cars that you’d be a idiot to buy.
Explore our various best and worst car lists and use our new-car selector interactive instrument to see what other low-scoring models you can identify and check out the exceptional models that top the lists.
Least reliable: Fiat 500L
Base MSRP price range: $Nineteen,295 – $24,595
Fiat-Chrysler sits at the bottom of the pack, with four of its brands—Dodge, Ram, Jeep, and Fiat—sweeping our least-reliable rankings. The Fiat 500L is presently the least reliable fresh car, with a predicted reliability score that is two hundred nineteen percent worse than average. Looked at another way, the 500L has about sixteen times the problem rate of the most reliable car, the long-in-the tooth but ironclad Scion xB. (The smaller Fiat five hundred is better, but it still scores poor for reliability.) In case you’re still tempted by this unique Italian hatchback, a 50-point overall road test score should further discourage you from adding this model to your shopping list.
Lowest holder satisfaction: Jeep Compass
Base MSRP price range: $Legitimate,995 – $28,495
Despite a latest freshening, the Jeep Compass remains outdated and uncompetitive. But don’t just take our word for it: Owners have given the Compass the lowest satisfaction rating of all current cars, with just forty three percent stating that they would get this same car if they had to do it all over again. The satisfaction details showcase the areas that disappointed most are convenience and fuel economy, followed by drive practice, features, and cargo space. (Key lesson here: Most of those elements could be readily evaluated on a test drive.) The fuel economy is understandable, as that is likely a key draw for an affordable four-cylinder SUV and the real-world spectacle is far from stellar. In our tests, the Compass returned twenty two mpg overall, putting it at the thirsty end for its class, while also being among the slowest petite SUVs with a 0-60 mph crawl at Ten.Trio seconds. Not a satisfying combination. To top it off, Compass reliability has dropped to well below average.
Lowest-scoring car: Mitsubishi Mirage
29 overall score
Base MSRP price range: $12,995 – $15,395
Lows: Clumsy treating, noise, stimulation, acceleration, feels indeed cheap and insubstantial.
The Mitsubishi Mirage lives up to its name. While its low sticker price and good fuel economy of thirty seven mpg overall may conjure up an inviting picture of an enticing, economical runabout, that illusion quickly dissipates into the haze when you drive this regrettable car. Built in Thailand, this little hatchback is powered by a little, stimulating three-cylinder engine. Its treating is so clumsy, it leans in corners like a drunken sailor. To make it saleable, Mitsubishi primed the pump with a rather outstanding list of standard features. But the car is way too slow and noisy, even for a cheap subcompact, to effectively rival in this competitive class. Further lowering its standing is its Poor score in the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety small-overlap crash test.
Lowest-scoring SUV: Jeep Compass
52 overall score
Base MSRP price range: $Legitimate,995 – $28,495
Lows: Engine noise, acceleration, driving position, front-seat convenience, rear visibility, cornering boundaries, braking, reliability.
Despite the front face mimicking the look of the incredible Grand Cherokee, the Compass is a mediocre car. The engine is noisy and lacks punch. Treating is unimpressive, the seats are second-rate, and the driving position is flawed. The cabin feels claustrophobic, visibility is problematic, and access is hampered by a tall sill. On the credit side, road noise is low, the rail is absorbent, and controls are ordinary and straightforward. However, at fifty two points out of one hundred in our battery of tests, the Compass scores too low to be recommended. (Technically, the lowest SUV score belongs to the Jeep Wrangler at a mere twenty points. But given that most potential buyers would be drawn to the off-road capability or nostalgia factor, we realize it has some redeeming factors. So we awarded the dubious distinction to the lowest-scoring conventional crossover or SUV.)