Most Reliable Full-Size SUVs [Top Ranked Models]
John Goreham is a life-long car nut and recovering engineer. John’s focus areas are technology, safety, and green vehicles. In the 1990s, he was part of an academic team that built a solar-electric vehicle from scratch. His was the role of the battery thermal control designer. After earning his engineering degree, John also completed a marketing program at Northeastern University. For 20 years, he applied his engineering and sales talents in the worlds of semiconductor manufacturing, biopharmaceutical production, and automotive electronics supply chain. Always a writer, John has published numerous articles in technical journals such as Chemical Processing Magazine. In 2008 he retired from that career and dedicated himself to chasing his dream of being an auto writer. In addition to online publications such as Car Talk, John’s work has appeared in print in dozens of American newspapers, and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites.
Full-size SUVs are among the most expensive family vehicles one can own. With so much riding on these important vehicles, reliability is always a top priority. It also plays a big role in determining our list of the best SUVs.
Many owners use these brutes to tow long-distance, haul materials, and in their business. Breakdowns and time out of service can be a big problem.
Here is our reliability ranking of the largest SUVs in the US market.
Check out our overall picks for the most reliable SUVs here >>
- Most Reliable Subcompact SUVs
- Most Reliable Compact SUVs
- Most Reliable Midsize SUVs
- Most Reliable Full-Size SUVs
Table of Contents
Who Provided the Data for This List?
Our evaluation of the largest SUVs on the market uses two primary sources of reliability data.
First, we check out RepairPal. They do a very exacting breakdown of reliability by model and model year that we find helpful. In our rankings, we average the past few years’ ratings to come up with a number between one and five, with higher being better.
Next, we look at the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study. This study evaluates the reliability of three-year-old models by asking owners how many problems they have had in that time. A lower score here is better.
Last, we take a peek at CarComplaints, just to be sure no new, high-volume failures are starting to emerge.
Most Reliable Full-Size SUV Comparison
| Model | RepairPal Score | J.D. Power Score Dependability |
| Lexus LX | ||
| Toyota Sequoia | ||
| Chevrolet Suburban/Tahoe | ||
| GMC Yukon | ||
| Cadillac Escalade | ||
| Ford Expedition | ||
| Nissan Armada |
*Limited data available due to low volume.
1. Lexus LX & Toyota Land Cruiser
The Lexus LX is the premium version of the Toyota Land Cruiser. While the brand sells relatively few of these vehicles, they are known by owners as indestructible.
By comparison to some of its peers, the LX isn’t exactly a trendsetter with cutting-edge technology. Perhaps that’s one reason it doesn’t break?
Current Lexus LX Deals & Incentives
| Year | Make | Model | Cash Incentives (up to) | Best Avail. APR | Lease Offers | Expiration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Lexus | LX 570 |
You may qualify for additional deals and incentives, check out this month's Lexus deals here.
Current Toyota Land Cruiser Deals & Incentives
You may qualify for deals and incentives, check out this month's Toyota deals here.
2. Toyota Sequoia
Our hands are starting to hurt from tapping out the praises of Toyota’s many reliable models.
Let’s say that the Sequoia is a version of the two vehicles above and call that good.
Current Toyota Sequoia Deals & Incentives
You may qualify for deals and incentives, check out this month's Toyota deals here.
3. GM - Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade
Built in the same plant from mostly the same parts, the full-size behemoths from GM all slot in nicely between the highly-reliable Toyota/Lexus family and the also-rans. The Suburban, Tahoe, and Yukon have slightly better scores than the Escalade earns.
These beefy GM machines make up a substantial portion of the full-size SUV market. The Arlington Texas plant has been building these SUVs for decades, and GM knows how important reliability is to these high-profit machines. Look closely, and you will see that the few problems reported are minor.
Current GM Deals & Incentives
You may qualify for deals and incentives, check out this month's Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac deals.
4. Ford Expedition
The Explorer is so good and so big, it’s hard to believe that Ford needs a bigger model. For those blue-oval fans who do want their SUV super-sized, the Expedition is the answer.
The Expedition earns a reliability score of 3, which is far from impressive, but not the worst case scenario. With Ford’s J.D. Power score being well below the industry average, we placed Ford in fourth.
If money is not a concern and you want an Expedition with slightly better ratings, check out the Lincoln Navigator.
Current Ford Expedition Deals & Incentives
| Year | Make | Model | Cash Incentives (up to) | Best Avail. APR | Lease Offers | Expiration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Ford | Expedition | ||||
| 2024 | Ford | Expedition | $769/month for 39 months, $6,521 due at signing | 7/8/24 |
You may qualify for additional deals and incentives, check out this month's Ford deals here.
5. Nissan Armada & Infiniti QX80
Like most brands here, Nissan and Lincoln sell two vehicles via different brands that are basically the same vehicle. We like the Nissan Armada and Infiniti QX80 most among the large SUVs available today, but we have to follow the reliability data, and that puts these vehicles last.
If you are looking for a vehicle on this list, perhaps the Ford Explorer, Hyundai Palisade, or Kia Telluride, please check out our list of the most reliable midsize SUVs. There is no firm line in the sand where midsize ends and full-size begins, and we grouped those vehicles with the midsize SUVs.
Current Nissan Armada Deals & Incentives
| Year | Make | Model | Cash Incentives (up to) | Best Avail. APR | Lease Offers | Expiration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Nissan | Armada | $3,000 | 5.90% | $629/month for 36 months, $6,639 due at signing | 4/30/24 |
| 2024 | Nissan | Armada | 5.90% | $689/month for 36 months, $6,629 due at signing | 4/30/24 |
You may qualify for additional deals and incentives, check out this month's Nissan deals here.
Current Infiniti QX80 Deals & Incentives
| Year | Make | Model | Cash Incentives (up to) | Best Avail. APR | Lease Offers | Expiration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Infiniti | QX80 | 0.90% | 4/30/24 | ||
| 2024 | Infiniti | QX80 |
You may qualify for additional deals and incentives, check out this month's Infiniti deals here.
What Is the Most Reliable Full-Size SUV?
The top three models and brands in this segment all earn respectable scores for reliability. However, the Lexus LX rises to the top of all the data sources we check. GM’s family of three brands and four models also deserves a mention.
