Of couse you shouldn't just ignore it. What you should do is think a bit deeper than "X > Y so X = better". Included in the data is the fact that a BMW needs the maintenance it does, to rank where it ranks here, as its average owner maintain it as they do. The maintenance schedule and how the BMWs included in the statistics were maintained is likely different than on a Toyota, but following the maintenance schedule or not is up to you to decide. However, those who do not follow the maintenance schedule are included here as well as are those who service their BMW more than required.
If you are not average, expect results that are not average. That goes both ways.
It is not only how they are maintained, but also how they are driven.
BMW's are sport enthusiast vehicles. They are probably used and abused and higher levels than typical Toyotas and Lexus. You won't see many Toyotas and Lexus in race tracks, however they are usually populated by all type of BMWs, specially M performance and full M models.
So I expect that under normal usage, BMWs are even more reliable that the ranking shows.
I the 2nd point maybe I didn't get across well is more that the initial three years does not tell as much or are very useful. In 2023 people are not buying new cars with the high interest rates we have now, taking that depreciation hit, only to sell three years later.
Also:
> If you are not average, expect results that are not average. That goes both ways.
I still have trouble believing BMW has 3x the reliability in the first three years than practically all the American manufacturers.
Well, it is a list of new cars, but yes, I agree it isn't that useful.
>I still have trouble believing BMW has 3x the reliability in the first three years than practically all the American manufacturers.
I do not know it 3 times is the correct number, but I do not doubt that it is a significant difference. I'd also argue that if we had the graphs, we would be able to see it getting worse after Tesla became a success.
>that's pretty much what the list is for.
I have no idea what the list if for. IMO it is a mess and maybe even clickbait.
If you are not average, expect results that are not average. That goes both ways.