According to the Consumer Reports (CR) 2012 Annual Auto Reliability Survey, which forecast the reliability of 2013 models, Japanese cars overwhelmingly dominated the reliability ratings this year, by claiming the top seven spots.

Going by the CR magazine's recently-released annual survey, in which the reliability ratings of 2013 models were gauged on the basis of tracking of the reliability of vehicles up to 10 years old, the top three reliability rankings this time round were grabbed by Toyota, with its Lexus luxury and Scion small-car brands. The best overall rating was won by the Toyota Prius C hybrid subcompact car.

The most notable aspect of this year CR survey - which was based on the information collected from 1.2 million 2003-12 model-year vehicles that CR subscribers had either leased or owned - was that the predicted reliability of hybrid vehicles, as well as the vehicles powered by electricity, was quite good.

As per the CR editors, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid was probably the only hybrid to have a worse-than-average rating for predicted reliability. All the other hybrid vehicles - including Toyota Prius; Prius V; new Prius Plug-in; Chevrolet Volt plug-in; and all-electric Nissan Leaf - had above-average predicted reliability.

About the high predicted reliability of hybrid vehicles, Jake Fisher - CR's director of automotive testing - said that "there's no rocket science to electric cars," and added: "There were electric cars before there were gas-powered cars; it seems to be a reliable technology."