These 4 Cars Are Even More Reliable Than The Toyota Camry

When it comes to car brands known for consistently offering reliable vehicles, Toyota often comes to mind. In J.D. Power 2025 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), Toyota placed fourth overall, trailing behind Lexus, Buick, and Mazda. Meanwhile, Consumer Reports' (CR) 2025 brand reliability rankings paint a slightly different picture, placing Toyota at the very top, with Lexus, Buick, and Mazda ranked third, eighth, and 14th, respectively.

However, CR also notes that Toyota's overall reliability has slipped in recent years. Most notably, the Toyota Camry — long considered a benchmark for dependability — dropped from an above-average reliability rating to merely average after the 2025 mid-cycle refresh. The most common Toyota Camry problems typically include excessive oil burning, transmission, steering, and brake system issues. Such a shift raises a question. If the Camry is no longer the gold standard for reliable cars, which models outperform it in long-term reliability?

Before we go into the list, it's worth noting that, while these estimates help paint a general picture of how these cars perform over their lifetime, they do not account for individual experiences. Moreover, while some of the estimates for cost to own and depreciation costs have exact dollar amounts, the actual figure will depend on your location and a number of other factors, such as the exact model of the car. Regardless, here are four cars that are even more reliable than the Toyota Camry, and what you can expect with each of them.

The Toyota Crown is Camry's more premium sibling, thanks to a higher price tag, a more luxurious interior, standard AWD, and more powerful powertrains. However, where these two also differ is reliability, because CR has ranked the Toyota Crown above the Camry in its latest reliability surveys. Additionally, the Crown features more advanced technology and driver-assistance features as standard, which further justify its premium positioning.

The Toyota Crown is likely to last up to 250,000 miles, but when you take a look at how much it's likely to cost you in the first five years of ownership, KBB reports that the Toyota Crown's total costs come to $64,471, with out-of-pocket expenses on repairs, maintenance, and insurance coming to $44,347. For a spot of context, the KBB reports that Camry's total is $31,800, most of which are out-of-pocket costs.

Although the Crown can be more reliable, when it breaks, it costs more to fix, and that can negate the difference. Edmunds estimates that the total five-year ownership cost for the Camry is $33,130, while CarEdge believes the Crown is going to cost you $53,529. Being a higher-end model, KBB also reports that the Crown depreciates considerably more ($20,124) than the Camry ($12,000 to $13,000). Ultimately, although the Crown is more reliable, it costs more to own and is likely to depreciate more after you buy it.

In the same CR study where the Camry's reliability was rated as average, CR rated the Lexus IS reliability well-above average. Since Lexus took third place overall in the CR study, with the IS leading the charge, it shouldn't be overlooked. It's also one of the most successful models in Lexus history. Even though it is a slightly smaller, more premium sedan than the Camry, it seems to hold up better in terms of reliability.

Moreover, U.S. Car News named the Lexus IS as its Editor's Choice for the most reliable used car you can buy in late 2025. The Toyota Camry did not even make the list. In terms of longevity, iSeeCars notes that the Toyota Camry's average life expectancy is 163,455 miles, or about 12.1 years. For the Lexus IS, iSeeCars estimates 184,400 miles, or about 17 years.

However, in terms of how much these two are likely to cost over a period of five years, KBB estimates the Camry at the aforementioned $31,800. For the Lexus IS, KBB estimates $62,531, with $37,447 (more than the total of the Camry) just on out-of-pocket expenses. Once again, although reliability estimates favor the IS, the ownership cost difference between the two is vast, and that can sometimes make up for the difference.

The Mazda 3 is one of the brand's longest-running and most important models. This compact hatchback has also ranked higher in terms of reliability (above average) than the Toyota Camry (average) in CR's 2025 reliability study, even though Mazda (as a brand) has dropped the most overall. Mazda's SkyActiv engines are reliable, and some of its models are often placed above average in most reliability surveys.

However, KBB also reports that the Mazda 3 costs more to own, even though it is smaller and isn't as luxurious as the Crown or the IS. Specifically, KBB estimates the Mazda 3 costs $49,816 to own as of this writing, with out-of-pocket expenses reaching around $35,816, more than the total ownership costs of the Camry ($31,800). Given that the Mazda 3 is from a smaller market segment and is cheaper to buy, this estimate is significant.

Edmunds reports a slightly more favorable five-year estimate for the Mazda 3: $34,592, but this is still higher than the Camry. Depreciation-wise, the Mazda 3 is estimated to lose $11,653 after five years, and that is slightly better than the Camry's $12,000 to $13,000. With that in mind, while CR's data does support the Mazda 3 being more reliable, its higher ownership costs and similar depreciation rates could narrow that margin in the real world.

The Honda Accord is one of the Camry's fiercest competitors, and the latest CR ratings show a close race: tied in second place for reliability, just behind the Toyota Crown. However, when you look at RepairPal's list of the ten most reliable mid-size car models, the Honda Accord is number one, while the Camry is third. iSeeCars estimates the Honda Accord's life expectancy to be 162,748 miles or about 12.4 years, just slightly better than the Camry in terms of time, but worse in terms of mileage.

The sheer competitiveness of these two mid-size sedans is also visible in Car and Driver's best mid-size sedan list, where the Accord is number one, while the Camry is number two. As far as five-year ownership costs are concerned, KBB rates the Accord at around $47,763 and about $34,501 for out-of-pocket expenses. Estimates by Edmunds are slightly more favorable at a total of about $33,566 for the five-year period. These numbers are, once again, extremely competitive with the Toyota Camry.

To try and find a more meaningful difference between the two, depreciation also isn't it. The Accord's projected KBB depreciation is $13,962. As UsedCars notes, "The Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry are two of the most reliable, enduring and affordable used car options." Talk about one, you also have to talk about the other, and that is why they are both listed. The Honda Accord can last upwards of 200,000 miles if taken care of, and the Camry is very much the same.

First of all, the numbers on this list are industry estimates, meaning that outlets like Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, Edmunds, U.S. Car News, iSeeCars, KBB, and RepairPal take averages across the industry to produce figures that are broadly comparable. These numbers cannot account for individual experiences — they only show trends observed across a large number of vehicles. This is how we built our list. 

We scoured available online resources to identify cars comparable to the Camry, not just in terms of reliability, but also in terms of cross-shopping potential. All of these vehicles are closely related, either as sister brands, direct competitors, or cars aimed at a similar customer group and price range. They were also selected because they consistently rank highly across multiple reliability and ownership studies, giving readers a well-rounded view of dependable options in a similar price range.