10 Of The Most Reliable Nissan Models Ever Built, Ranked

While it might not be among the most beloved car brands out there, Nissan is still a noteworthy name in the realm of car manufacturers. The company has made an effort to innovate in past years, including major changes such as Nissan deciding to stop investing in gas engines. But innovation doesn't mean all that much for people who value reliability above all else. Luckily, there are quite a few Nissan models that can boast such reliability.

As a brand, Nissan scores quite high when up against other car manufacturers in terms of reliability. The comparison gets muddier when looking at specific models, with quite a few of them being out of production while others aren't so lucky with longevity. To put things into perspective, this article will take a look at the 10 most reliable Nissan models across the company's history. Numbered ratings are primarily taken from JDPower, and the most recent model years of each vehicle will be given the most consideration.

The Versa was active in Nissan's lineup just before the 2010s, and it continues to be in production today. We found one of its most recent models to be fantastic for its price in SlashGear's 2023 Nissan Versa review thanks to its fuel economy and power. The most recent model of the vehicle rated by JDPower for reliability is only the 2022 version, but the results are still positive with a rating of 82/100. Even older model years rank above 80 for reliability, making the Versa far from the worst choice you could go for.

Unfortunately, some models of Versa don't have the same reputation as its more recent versions. In particular, the 2018 model received criticism for its poor build quality, and while other variants were able to last a long time, they were still widely disliked by owners for their less-than-stellar driving experience. As long as you stick with more recent years, you're unlikely to face these problematic results. Just be careful of going for Versas made before the 2020s, even if they have good reliability ratings.

Not many SUVs from Nissan are seen as the top of their class in terms of reliability. The Rogue manages to make up for this, though, with its 2023 model having a reliability rating of 83/100. This rating gets a little shaky in older years, with the 2014 model being almost ten points lower and the 2017 model being 3 points higher. It's not too far from the Versa's situation, meaning you can still count on the latest models if you're looking for a long-lasting ride.

The Rogue itself is a remarkable SUV in spite of having a fair share of its own issues. The gorgeous 2021 Nissan Rogue earned a terrible front-passenger crash rating, yet the 2022 model fixed this issue and was regarded as having great performance. The 2025 Rogue also has rave reviews, with many of its smaller features like a comfortable interior and great infotainment offerings being highlighted. You'll be limited in your options if you want to take advantage of used models, but a brand-new Nissan Rogue is far from your worst option.

The Nissan Kicks shares its reliability rating with the Rogue, but one difference allows it to be ranked just a bit higher. This 82 rating applies to its 2025 model year, with all of its previously-rated years achieving great scores as well. This should hardly come as a surprise with the Kicks being a vehicle that only started production in the late 2010s, seemingly leaving little room for it to suffer from outdated design flaws. Unfortunately, the history behind the Kicks is a bit more complicated than it might appear at first.

Back in 2023, Nissan recalled more than 1 million vehicles, with the Kicks being included in this lineup. This recall regarded defective covers and faulty cruise control, both affecting in-production Kicks SUVs at the time. This doesn't seem to have been an issue since the announcement, but once again, it leads to some greater risks if you go after used models rather than brand-new ones. It's an unfortunate trend with Nissan models no matter their age, hence why your best bet for in-production Nissan reliability might be to focus on more recent releases.

The 370Z is one of many models in Nissan's line of "Z" cars. Having began production in 2009, it lasted for over a decade before the new Nissan Z-Car replaced it in 2020. Despite its long-lasting legacy, reviews for the car are worryingly mixed, with complaints pointing out the car's rough handling and lack of basic features. Luckily, these shortcomings don't also apply to the 370Z's reliability, which is perfectly decent...depending on who you ask.

According to JDPower, the 370Z has managed to get a reliability rating of 84/100. This allows it to stand tall with plenty of more modern Nissan models, though it should be noted that this rating only applies to the 2010 model. Later years weren't ranked by the website, which is a quirk that applies to nearly all other Z models. The 2010 model year also has some conflicting reports of reliability from other outlets thanks to questionable steering lock failure. Still, quite a few 2010 owners have avoided these sorts of issues, and other model years have better overall feedback for reliability, making the 370Z a vehicle that might be worth taking a risk on.

Interestingly, the Nissan Frontier is the only truck to make it on this list, with the Titan and Titan XD just barely missing out. The Frontier manages to match the 370Z's reliability score of 84/100, and it manages to do so with a much more recent model year of 2023. This isn't the end of its accolades, with the 2024 model topping the list of Cars.com's best-value midsized pickups. This is also the first vehicle on this list to come with far fewer caveats with its reliability, with practically no major issues within the past decade.

The only risky Nissan Frontier models come from before the 2010s, with most Nissan fans agreeing that the truck had greater reliability than most other Nissan vehicles across that time. Any Frontier that falls outside of that worry-filled period, new or used, will be a fine purchase that you won't have to worry about for some time. The most you might have to complain about is a potential lack of comfort, and if that isn't an issue, there are few other reasons that might make you replace this ride.

Nissan's Altima is one of the company's pricier mid-sized sedans, but it's able to justify this price fairly well. The car is loaded with great performance and fantastic fuel economy, and its infotainment options are able to keep up with the times. On top of this, its official store page mentions how the vehicle received top-notch safety ratings across the board, helping out its reliability even outside of specified ratings. But those ratings shouldn't be ignored, as they're likely to put into perspective just how much confidence you can put into the Altima.

From 2020 to 2025, the Altima never had a reliability score below 80 from JDPower, with its most recent model year reaching as high as 85/100. Even beyond its latest version, you'll be able to count on just about any model of this car made in the past 5 years. Going further back might lead to some issues, as the best years for the Nissan Altima fall outside of the period from 2013 to 2019. Just keep this in mind if you plan on trimming its cost by relying on used prices.

Interestingly, while the Rogue already made its way onto this list, the 2020 Nissan Rogue Sport manages to rank above it with a reliability rating of 86/100. It also happens to be a discontinued version of the SUV, with no new versions of it present beyond 2022. Luckily, you aren't going to have to worry about reliability of used models outside of its earliest years. Even beyond these ratings, most Rogue Sports have few issues after a great deal of use, with most complaints simply coming from the vehicle's design rather than technical issues.

As for why the Rogue Sport was discontinued in the first place, there are quite a few different factors at play. On top of recent models only getting decent-at-best reviews, Nissan found the SUV to be underperforming compared to the Kicks and regular Rogue models, leaving this one without much room to shine. On a positive note, you can rest assured that the car's end-of-life didn't come about thanks to unreliability. You might be hard-pressed to keep support going for it after a few years, but judging by its reputation, the Rogue Sport unlikely to break down on you out of nowhere.

The Nissan Sentra manages to find some impressive reliability despite its low cost, finding a score of 86/100 for its most recent model year. With that in mind, it still shares a lot in common with previous vehicles on this list, such as earlier model years from before 2020 not garnering nearly as much confidence. The issues with these older cars mainly regarded a faulty transmission, which was a present issue in nearly every model before the turn of the decade. If it wasn't for the new generation of Sentras, there would be no chance of it ranking so highly.

Thankfully, Nissan finally made efforts to improve the Sentra starting in 2020. Improvements were made to the car's tech offerings and overall stability, and the 2021 Nissan Sentra got even more safety features on top of that. These improvements turned the Sentra from a complete disaster to a fantastic option, especially for anyone concerned about reliability. As usual, just make sure you're sticking to the latest years if you're buying used models.

The Nissan Murano stands above all other SUVs from the company when it comes to reliability. Its 2024 model year is among just one of two vehicles to break the 90-point barrier, reaching a score of 91/100 on JDPower. As usual, its downsides only come from pre-2020 model years, letting you retain confidence with the brand-new options being sold today. This is especially a good thing considering how the Murano is the most expensive model on this list that's still in production, reaching a baseline cost of over $38,000.

The real question is whether you'll want the Nissan Murano in the first place. Some outlets are able to provide plenty of praise for the most recent models, while others note how it simply can't keep up with competing companies. Its unimpressive performance and low tow rating leave much to be desired for some, and even if you're focused solely on reliability, Nissan is far from the only choice out there.

The Maxima is Nissan's most reliable vehicle in terms of its most recent models. Outside of those models, it still manages to surpass the trends of previous vehicles on this list. Just about every model from 2010 onward has remarkable reception, avoiding the issues that plagued most Nissan cars during this time. Yet the Maxima was discontinued by 2023, though this was primarily for Nissan to prioritize electric vehicle production. The Maxima itself hadn't suddenly stopped being a trustworthy ride — in fact, that will likely be the biggest part of its legacy.

Though some might see it as one of the most unreliable Nissans out there, this statement only really applies to the older pre-2010 variants. The benefit of time has allowed more recent versions of the Maxima to outdo just about every other car from the company, with its final year scoring a reliability rating of 93/100. For as many problems as Nissan faced with reliability, the Maxima didn't fall victim to them nearly as much as the company's other models. Even outside of this brand, you won't easily find many other cars that are more reliable than this one.