When you buy a new car, you want as much as possible about it to be perfect. It needs to be clean, full of fuel, and – most of all – it needs to work as expected. Despite that, many models fall short of the mark, leaving buyers dissatisfied with their purchase. Consumer Reports recently surveyed its members to find the vehicles buyers were most unhappy with, and there are a few surprises on the list. (You can find the CR readers’ list of most-satisfying cars here.)
The publication combined its vehicle ratings with customer feedback to come up with the cars that give new owners the least satisfaction. Owners were asked how likely they were to buy the same vehicle again. These results follow an earlier study in which the publication found that EVs are typically less reliable than gas models, but hybrids were the most reliable. The list of the least satisfying vehicles includes:
- 2024 Nissan Altima: 48% would buy again
- 2024 Volkswagen Jetta: 47%
- 2024 Kia Forte: 47%
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 46%
- Kia Seltos: 45%
- Nissan Kicks: 44%
- Kia Sorento Hybrid: 42%
- Nissan Sentra: 39%
- Volkswagen Taos: 38%
- Infiniti QX50: 25%
Some cars that made the list scored highly in Consumer Reports’ road tests, and many returned strong scores for predicted reliability. That said, most had questionable reliability scores and poor predicted owner satisfaction, earning their spots on the list. It’s important to note that most of the vehicles on the least satisfied list come with a reasonable price tag, so at least owners aren’t expecting a high-end experience based on the MSRP.
Other surveys from organizations like J.D. Power found that new car buyers often have trouble with their vehicle’s technology. The more features a model has, the more potential there is for something to go wrong and the harder it is to learn basic navigation. Buyers expect a robust tech experience and plenty of features in their new cars, but everything must work properly, or the extra features can bring extra headaches.
About the author
Chris Teague
News Editor, Autoblog