How Reliable Are New Corvettes? Here's What Consumer Reports Says
In production since 1953, the Chevrolet Corvette has carved out a space as America's supercar over the years, and in 2019, the Bowtie brand brought things to the proverbial next level: That's when it first showed off a production model with a mid-engine layout, which, in the eyes of many, truly secured the Corvette's place among exotic rides like a Ferrari or Lamborghini.
In fact, the 2020 Corvette was named both the North American Car of the Year and the Motor Trend Car of the Year when it debuted. It was also exceedingly popular with drivers, who scooped up the entire first-year production run before the first retail example ever came off the line. Some outlets even think Chevrolet might have made them too good.
But more shocking might have been the Corvette's ratings from Consumer Reports. CR not only recommended the 2021 Corvette — it didn't fully test a 2020 model — but also pointed out its top-notch reliability. Now, Consumer Reports has its own proprietary scoring model for reliability, so we'll leave the details alone, but we will point out that the '21 Corvette showed up as more reliable than the same year's Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, among others. And while the very newest 'Vettes tested, the 2025 models, haven't rated quite as high for predicted reliability, they're still better than CR-picked rivals like the 2025 Porsche 718 Boxster and Nissan Z, and not far off the pace of the BMW Z4.
Diving into the new Corvette's reliability details
Consumer Reports also provides important owner-reported feedback about the Corvette's history of reliability, and nearly all indicators are positive for the current generation cars. Since CR's first full test in 2021, the eighth-gen Corvette has shown a history of better reliability results for its powertrain, suspension/steering, and, perhaps most notably, for in-car electronics. After all, as Consumer Reports indicates elsewhere, along with climate systems, "The biggest growing area of concern in late-model cars is the in-car electronics. ... Problems in those areas more likely reflect the inherent design or quality." Indeed, one of the very few areas that saw worsening reliability for the C8 Corvette was the climate system of the 2023 models — along with the braking system for the same year.
CR keeps track of recalls, too, and the 2025 Corvette has been the subject of two so far — including one because they might catch fire. C8 models from 2020-2024 have combined for 10. Doing the math here, the Corvette has seen an average of two recalls per year for the past six model years.
Dropping back to the 2024 Corvette helps us drill down even further into the data for owner-reported trouble spots from this generation. Here, of the 17 areas listed, owners reported trouble in just two: They gave the car a terrible score for body hardware such as doors, latches, window, and removable roof panels, and a middling result for minor engine issues including belts, pulleys, and engine computer.
Consumer Reports reliability for previous-generation Corvettes
CR has a relatively deep pool of data for the seventh-gen Corvettes as well. The C7 'Vette came to market for the 2014 model year with Consumer Reports specifically calling out the upgraded materials in the cabin and improved overall refinement over the previous edition. Reliability-wise, and again using the Camry for context, the 2014 Corvette had significantly better predicted reliability than Toyota's midsize sedan. This year's Corvette did have some issues with in-car electronics, according to its owners, and was subject to five recalls, but was otherwise nearly free from other owner-reported trouble spots.
In 2016, the next year the Corvette got the full CR treatment, its predicted reliability had inched slightly higher, while owner-reported trouble spots with the in-car electronics had noticeably declined. Unfortunately, this is where the seventh-gen Corvette's reliability seems to have peaked. The predicted reliability of the 2017 Corvette saw some serious slippage, and while the 2018 model went untested, the 2019 model year saw the car's predicted reliability drive off a cliff.
At that stage, looking solely at CR's grades for overall reliability, the Corvette finished lower than its brand-mate the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse — itself one of Consumer Report's five least reliable vehicles of the year. Major owner-reported trouble spots for the 2019 Corvette included the climate system, suspension/steering, transmission, in-car electronics, and drive system. It's the kind of reliability you might expect when you consider that GM spent basically nothing to develop the C7 Corvette in the first place.
