Consumer Reports Says This Is The Least Satisfying Japanese Car Brand To Drive

Japanese car manufacturers are known to produce some of the most reliable and best-performing vehicles in the world. However, all brands aren't made the same. According to Consumer Reports (CR), one automaker stands out from the rest in terms of being the most satisfying, and it's not Nissan, a struggling automaker that's closed some dealerships in recent years. In fact, of the Japanese vehicle brands that CR reviewed, Nissan is at the bottom, and out of 26 automakers ranked, Nissan is in the 23rd spot.

Nissan's 23rd ranking is substantial, as 53% of owners said they would not buy the same vehicle again. This is only 2% higher than last place Jeep, which sold some of the worst Cherokees since 2014. In contrast, Japanese automakers Toyota scored a 65% and Honda scored a 64%, putting them in the 8th and 9th spots respectively. Two other Japanese brands, Subaru and Lexus, ranked even higher, in the 3rd and 7th spots. Only Acura, ranked 19th, and Mazda, ranked 22nd, were the Japanese brands close to Nissan on the list.

CR's owner satisfaction rankings are based on results from the company's 2025 Annual Auto Surveys. These surveys included responses covering model years 2023 through 2025, with some 2026 vehicles thrown in as well. Survey feedback centered on whether or not owners would buy the same car again, with scores coming from various factors, including comfort, price, and enjoyment, among others.

Nissan's low placement in Consumer Reports' (CR) owner satisfaction ratings doesn't necessarily reflect the performance of individual models. For example, the 2025 Kicks, Pathfinder, and Sentra all received above-average scores from CR for predicted reliability. Meanwhile, the 2026 Nissan Rogue, which Nissan offers as a plug-in hybrid, rated around average compared to other vehicles in its model year. Because of these results, potential owners can get a better understanding of where Nissan's strengths are. But CR isn't the only independent vehicle authority that's evaluated Nissan.

The Japanese automaker also earned high marks in J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Initial Quality Study, released in the summer of 2025. The study, which tracked owner issues during the first 90 days of ownership, saw Nissan take the top spot among mass-market brands. Nissan also ranked second overall in the list of 33 vehicle brands evaluated, right behind Lexus. These results, though impressive, reflect initial vehicle quality rather than long-term performance.

The 2025 study came one year after Nissan's inclusion in J.D. Power's Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI). The SSI measured customer satisfaction in terms of the sales experience at car dealerships. Nissan ranked first overall in the mass market car category, placing it higher than it had been in previous years. In fact, this was actually Nissan's best ranking in the SSI study in over 30 years.