With costs rising and time in short supply, it’s no surprise drivers are prioritising long-lasting quality, but narrowing down the best choice isn't easy in a crowded market07:23, 26 Aug 2026An engineer has named what he believes are the current two most reliable car brands in the world - and they're both from the same country. With daily life as hectic as ever and the cost of living still soaring, more drivers are prioritising quality and longevity — but finding the right motor can feel daunting, especially with so many brands to choose from.‌One man who may be able to help drivers navigate this minefield is engineer David Chao, who has more than 35 years’ experience in the automotive industry. He's ranked a number of well-known car brands by reliability, from best to worst.‌He ranked four Japanese brands among the best, including Toyota and Honda. David said Toyota’s new product introduction (NPI) process is "one of the best in the world". NPI is the process by which a product is taken from concept to a market-ready model.‌Honda, meanwhile, has a "world-class" engineering capability, despite its smaller size, and boasts a "robust" product development. He placed Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Porsche in the second-to-top "A" tier of his list.Nissan, Hyundai, Kia and BMW followed in the B category. Audi, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, Ford and Tesla were placed in C, while Stellantis came last in D.‌US automotive giant General Motors is behind some of America's best-known brands, including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. Stellantis also owns a roster of familiar names such as Citroën, Vauxhall, Fiat, Peugeot and Jeep.Coming top of the pack in the elite "S" tier were two popular Japanese brands: Subaru and Mazda.‌MazdaDavid says he carried out a full audit of the "exterior quality" of the Mazda CX-5, a process he's been completing across all the firm's products. Speaking to auto consultant Shari Prymak on the Car Help Corner YouTube channel, David said: "If you look at the manufacturing, their capability, it's actually one of the best in the world."Their system, the process, their equipment and design is unlike any other manufacturing that Toyota or Honda have." He said its manufacturing and engineering capability is "probably the best in the world", and that he'd "give it S for super good".He did, however, caution that this doesn’t necessarily "translate to long-term reliability". He added that, unlike Toyota or Honda, Mazda can't "pump out a lot of cars". David noted that the firm has two factories in Japan and one in Mexico, with none in the US or Canada. As a result, individual plants have to build multiple models on the same production lines.‌SubaruDavid points out that Subaru has been collaborating with Toyota on some vehicles in recent times, including the Subaru BRZ, with Toyota holding a 20 per cent minority stake in the brand. David said Toyota’s engineering has carried over to Subaru, a firm he believes has "gone really good" in recent years.Similarly, Subaru isn't a large firm, meaning it will have to "borrow capability" from Toyota, says David. He awarded the company's product development a "solid A, maybe A minus", as it's taking them a "long time" to develop independently and must "rely" on Toyota.Article continues belowYet the manufacturing capability and quality have been "really good", dubbing it "very reliable".