Toyota and Honda are famous for their reliability. But when it comes to sedans Ford is now giving them a run for their money. That's one of the key findings in a just-released annual assessment of car reliability.

Ford's sales in the third quarter are higher than a year ago, thanks in part to incentive programs. And there's more good news for Ford.

Consumer Reports' just-released Autos Survey lays out the best and worst in reliability of 300 cars, including 51 from Ford.

"Of the 51 Fords in our survey, only five were below average. That means Ford is basically on par with Honda and Toyota," David Champion of Consumer Reports said.

The most reliable Fords: the front-wheel drive Fusion and its twin, the Mercury Milan.

"The Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan reliability is right at the top of the family-sedan category. It's actually better than the poster childs for reliability - the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord," Champion said.

The hybrid Fusion and Milan also got top scores for reliability along with several other hybrids, including the Toyota Prius and Hybrid versions of the Nissan Altima and the Toyota Camry.

This is significant because there has been concern with hybrids about how well the batteries will hold up over time. But Consumer Reports says, so far, so good.

"When we look at the Toyota Prius that's now been out for eight years, its one of the most reliable eight-year-old vehicles, and from our survey, we have not seen many battery replacements at all," Champion said. 

Getting a car that holds up well is worth it, says Consumer Reports. It can save you thousands of dollars in repairs, and reliable cars tend to have a higher resale value.

Consumer Reports' new survey also found that Hyundai and Kia continue to make many reliable cars, such as the Elantra sedan, the Tucson SUV and the Kia Sportage SUV. But the survey did find some problem cars among some usually very reliable brands. They include the all-wheel-drive Lexus GS, the Subaru Impreza WRX and the Nissan Versa.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen