10 Durable Cars

2016 Toyota Camry on road

Shopping for durable cars may not sound exciting, but if you don’t focus on finding a reliable vehicle today, you’re probably going to end up paying for your mistake tomorrow. It’s not just the cost of potential repairs, either. Even if your car is still under warranty, there’s the cost in wasted time and the hassle of going through the service process. There are some cars out there, however, with proven track records of dependability, and while past performance isn’t a guarantee of future results, it’s a great place to start. That’s why Autobytel experts started today’s list of the 10 most durable cars by evaluating data from trusted third-party sources like the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), which researches vehicle reliability after three years of ownership. Here’s what we discovered.

2016 Toyota Corolla

The 2016 Toyota Corolla represents the latest edition of the best-selling car in the world, and you can be sure it wouldn’t be so popular if it wasn’t one of the most durable cars in the world, too. Indeed, here in this country, the previous-generation Corolla has been a top-3 compact for three years in a row in the VDS. That includes winning the segment in 2014. But the current Corolla also is pretty special itself, complete with a limited-run model that celebrates the car’s 40th birthday. This Special Edition is an upgrade to the athletically inclined Corolla S and spices things up with gloss-black 17-inch alloy wheels, a black cabin with red accents, and a choice of three cool exterior colors: Absolutely Red, Black Sand Pearl or Super White.

2016 MINI Hardtop

Fuel efficient, fun-to-drive and affordable, the 2016 MINI Hardtop also showcases a surprising track record of reliability. Autobytel experts went back through five years' worth of VDS results to develop this honor roll of durable cars, and the mighty MINI finished in the top three of the Compact Sporty Car segment in every one — leading the way both this year and in 2014. Some folks also may be surprised at the Hardtop’s physical durability in crash testing: The Hardtop 2 Door has a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS that includes the highest grades for crashworthiness. (Just know that both the IIHS and J.D. Power refer to the car as the “MINI Cooper,” a mashup of the brand name and its entry-level “Cooper” trim.)

Photo by MINI

2016 Toyota Camry

The 2016 Toyota Camry further highlights the connection between durable cars and high sales. Not only is it the best-selling car in the United States, but it also has the best reliability scores from Consumer Reports. And for good measure, CR went on to name the Camry the “Best Midsized Car of the Year” for 2016. Now, there were many reasons for that accolade, but one of them, according to CR experts, is that the “Camry delivers year after year of outstanding reliability.” This year in particular, the Camry debuts some new technologies, as well. For example, there’s the Scout GPS App Link, for affordable, smartphone-based navigation, along with Qi wireless phone charging that’s part of the Camry Special Edition package.

Photo by Toyota

2016 Chevrolet Camaro

The competition between the modern-day muscle cars is as intense as ever, which makes the Bowtie brand’s comparison to other durable cars even more impressive: Chevy has topped the Midsize Sporty Car segment in the J.D. Power VDS for each year since the category was introduced in 2013. The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro kicks off an all-new generation of that 4-time winner, with engineers and designers working to improve the car in every dimension. Of course, that’s not to say the Camaro’s dimensions actually have been increased. The new car is both lighter and slightly smaller on the outside than the previous generation — though with more powerful engines — and that makes the Camaro noticeably more nimble during enthusiastic driving.

Photo by General Motors

2016 Toyota Avalon

Yes, Toyota has a trio of durable cars on display here, and it’s a quartet if you count the Lexus ES, from the automaker’s luxury brand. Either way, it all adds up to a notable result for the company, which caps off its mainstream hat-trick with the 2016 Toyota Avalon. The brand’s flagship sedan, the Avalon, has scored at least a top-3 position in the annual dependability study for the entire 5-year span that Autobytel experts analyzed. Moreover, the Avalon has a body structure durable enough for a 5-Star Overall Safety Score from NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ certification from IIHS. Complementing that robust platform and a key to the car’s IIHS honor: the Avalon welcomes available Toyota Safety Sense-P technology that includes a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection.

Photo by Toyota

2016 Buick LaCrosse

The 2016 Buick LaCrosse is a relative rarity among our durable cars, because the platform that underpins the 2016 model is the same one that supports the Large Car segment winner from the two most recent VDS data sets. Other selections here, remember, mark different generations from their VDS-winning predecessors. It’s also worth pointing out that, before the LaCrosse was moved into the J.D. Power Large Car category, it was a 2-time top-3 finisher in the Midsize Car segment. Additionally, although the 2016 LaCrosse is at dealerships now, so is the brand-new 2017 model that is a next-gen vehicle. Lighter, longer, lower and wider than the previous version, the latest LaCrosse also furnishes a more luxurious ownership experience that boasts massaging front seats.

Photo by Buick

2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

There was a time when premium German brands were renowned for producing durable cars, and for the 2017 Mercedes E-Class, that tradition continues to the present day. In fact, narrowing the time to the past five years, the E-Class also turns up on each of the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Studies; the sedan configuration was the No. 1-rated vehicle in the Midsize Premium Car class in 2015. The car is part of an odd trend, too, as it’s another vehicle that’s known for its past reliability but has just introduced an all-new model (without a direct history of durability to consider). That said, the brand indicates that it has significantly enhanced the E-Class body structure with hot-formed steels.

2016 Lexus ES

As the luxury division from the Toyota Motor Corporation — as mentioned above — Lexus has it own reputation for providing durable cars. The 2016 Lexus ES, for instance, has been rated at the top of its VDS segment for five consecutive years. Plus, owners benefit from some nice timing: On the one hand, the present ES generation has been on the market for three years, so that the VDS winner from 2016 — remember, that’s the 2013 model — and the car from 2016 share the same platform. But because today’s ES was thoroughly refreshed for the current selling season, it also stands out from the past editions with sharpened design, extra infotainment and safety technology, and higher levels of standard content across the lineup.

Photo by Lexus

2016 Honda Civic Hatchback

As long as even the experts have to pick durable cars by relying on predictions about future performance, let’s extend our view forward to the 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback that’s scheduled to reach dealerships this fall. For both durability and versatility, this compact hatch will combine the same high levels of predicted reliability as the Civic sedan, but bolstered by a roomy rear cargo hold and a total interior volume of 122.9 cubic feet. Also, the current Civic platform, which launched for 2016, already has been recognized for Top Safety Pick+ honors in both its coupe and sedan configurations.

Photo by Honda

2016 Chevrolet Malibu

Guess what? After clawing its way to the top of the Midsize Car segment in the VDS rankings for 2015 and 2016, Chevy has brought out a brand-new version, backed by a more extensive use of high-strength steel, to compete against rival durable cars. It’s the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu that has garnered strong ratings for predicted reliability from the likes of Consumer Reports and U.S. News & World Report. Meanwhile, consumers will like that the redesigned Malibu furnishes standard and available features like mobile Wi-Fi, smartphone integration, two turbocharged engines, heated and ventilated seating, and a hybrid powertrain expected to earn 48 MPG in city driving.

Photo by General Motors