When a car dealership burns you, it can be difficult to hit the market again. When it comes to car ratings, you can turn to J.D. power or Consumer Reports for car reliability ratings. Either source provides information to help consumers avoid lemons.

J.D. Power uses real world car owners to discover problems with vehicles after three years and reviews based on dependability. Consumer Reports, on the other hand, surveys readers who report problems over the course of a year that are not related to accidents. This is a reliability rating.

How do you choose a reliable car? CNET has some advice on how to choose a reliable car.

Year

The year of a car matters. While a car may have had a solid rating a few years before, you need to keep in mind that it can change. Technology is always changing and sometimes, a car manufacturer may produce a car with a worse rating than years before. Likewise, they may do the opposite.

Class  

There are a few different considerations when it comes to car class. Some believe that the high-end cars have less trouble but the opposite is normally true. High-end cars have more tech and this can lead to repeated dealer visits.

Manufacturer

Some car brands have a higher reputation than others. While all carmakers may have a vehicle or two that has a lower reliability rating, there are some brands that generally have a good reputation. These brands include:

• Mazda
• Ford
• Mercedes
• GMC
• Volkswagen

While there are a lot of winning brands, it is important to note that every manufacturer has good and bad vehicles.