When someone stops by their local Buick dealer, they shop confidently that their next Buick will be a reliable vehicle. Of course, reliability is often a subjective term thrown around without much context behind it. Only when reliability is examined based on data can we truly say if an automobile brand is truly reliable.
So, is Buick a reliable brand? Here’s what you need to know:
What Makes a Brand Reliable?
To officially say if a brand is reliable, there need to be some ground rules. Most organizations that review vehicles consider a few factors when identifying reliability: annual repair costs, frequency of repairs needed, and the severity of necessary repairs.
Reliability doesn’t take into account regular scheduled maintenance, as all brands and vehicles require general upkeep. The annual repair costs refer to the costs for unscheduled repairs and maintenance. High costs don’t necessarily mean a vehicle is unreliable, as some automobiles and brands simply have more expensive costs.
The frequency of repairs is determined by tracking millions of distinct vehicles over multiple years. This metric looks at how often a vehicle requires unscheduled maintenance in a year. The severity of repairs looks at if a repair cost is three times the average annual repair costs for all amounts.
Where Does Buick Fall?
While different models, trims, and years available at your local Buick dealer have different reliability scores, it’s worth looking at the Buick brand as a whole.
Annual Costs
The annual average repair cost for Buick vehicles is $608 per year. This number includes scheduled maintenance, which is a constant for most vehicles. That means you can expect to pay less per year for unscheduled repairs.
The average across all automobiles is $652, so Buick is well below average in this area.
Frequency of Repairs
The average Buick has to go back to the Buick dealer for unscheduled service 0.3 times per year, or about once every three years. The average across all vehicles is 0.4. Buick falls right into the general average in this category.
Severity of Repairs
When Buick vehicles go into the shop for unscheduled repairs, only 13% of repairs are actually considered severe. The national average across all models is 12%, making Buick fall in a good spot.
The Big Picture
When you put together all the major factors that determine if vehicles at your favorite Buick dealer are reliable or not, Buick gets a score of 3.5 out of 5.0. In other words, Buick is considered the 13th most reliable brand out of 32 major car brands.
Out of the three major brands that fall under the GM umbrella (Chevrolet, GMC, and Buick), Buick is the leading brand for reliability. As the luxury arm of GM automobiles, it makes sense that repair costs will be a little higher.
The good news is that you can walk into any Buick dealer in town and feel confident that your next ride is well above average when it comes to reliability.
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