The Most Reliable Diesel Engine Brand Still In Production (According To Users)

Diesel engines aren’t necessarily the most popular in the world right now, with more and more automakers turning away from diesel, and toward electrification. However, diesel still has more than its fair share of loyal and devoted fans, usually citing reasons such as impressive torque outputs, great gas mileage, and impressive durability.

That last point — durability and reliability — can sometimes have diesel fans up in arms with one another, as, typically, most folk tend to prefer one brand over another. For example, Powerstroke owners will claim Ford makes the best diesel engines, while VW owners will fight their corner, and so on. However, we decided to consider all sides of the argument to decide on who really does make the most reliable diesel engines. Specifically, we’re looking at who still makes reliable engines, so arguments can’t purely be based upon the dependability of older engines, such as VW’s 1.9 TDI, or the OM605 and 606 from Mercedes-Benz. After considering all sides of the coin, it appears that, not only do Cummins enthusiasts shout the loudest, but they also boast the experiences, facts, and figures to back up their claims. This helps us to establish the Indiana-based brand as the most reliable diesel engine brand still in production.

It’s one thing when a manufacturer boasts about new technologies they’ve introduced to ensure reliability, but nothing they say packs the same value as a customer testimonial. Fortunately, Cummins owners have been sharing their experiences. Reddit is awash with examples, with one user stating “there are Cummins with a million miles between rebuilds. They are a commercial engine in a personal chassis. Yes they are that reliable”, in addition to claims such as “my grandpa has a ’98 Dodge Ram 2500 with a Cummins, and it has 1.2 million miles on it with only the top end rebuilt, and he still pulls a 5th wheel camper with it regularly”.

In addition to this, Cummins also shares the experiences of owners within their high-mileage club, and million-mile club. One member of the exclusive club, Bruce, was happy to share that “these Dodge diesel trucks last and last, we can get a million miles out of one even if we buy a used one”. Bruce did exactly this, buying a Cummins-powered Dodge with 231,000 miles on it, and adding an extra 750,000 during his ownership. To close, Bruce stated “from the standpoint of reliability, you can not match the Cummins-powered diesel trucks”, and that’s a valuable testimonial from a man who owns one of the highest mileage cars on the road today. Bruce’s viewpoints are shared with many other high-mileage Cummins owners, including those who tow heavy trailers daily, and even folk who take unloved high-milers which have been sitting, and then put that back into service decades later.