The brand rankings of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. and its sister Kia Motors Corp. slipped compared with the year before in the latest automakers assessment released by Consumer Reports magazine on Tuesday.

The U.S. magazine said Hyundai, which received 60 points, placed 16th among the 23 high-volume car brands appraised. Kia came in at 15th by earning 61 points in the latest Car Brand Report Cards.

The numbers reflect a drop for both South Korean carmakers, which finished 14th and 11th, respectively, in the 2013 report. The two automakers are flagships of Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth-largest automotive conglomerate.

The report aims to show consumers which automotive brands are making the best all-around vehicles. Its rankings are based on actual road-test scores and feedback from the magazine's 1.1 million subscribers.

The magazine said Hyundai has great value for money and its vehicles make for comfortable rides, but its reliability fell below average. It said Kia continues to make improvements in every model it turns out.

Japanese carmakers occupied four slots in the top five, with Lexus and Acura finishing first and second, followed by Audi.

Lexus got 79 points to top the list for the second straight year, with Acura and Audi receiving 75 points and 74 points, respectively.

Subaru and Toyota tied for fourth place with 72 points each, with Mazda, Honda and Infiniti coming in at sixth through eighth place.

Mercedes-Benz ranked ninth, with BMW and Volvo tying for 10th place.

Among Japanese brands, only Nissan stood outside the top rankings at 17th place, tying with Volkswagen. Chevrolet, Cadillac, Dodge, Ford and Jeep finished at the bottom of the report card.

By individual vehicle, Hyundai's Santa Fe sport utility vehicle was rated as the best car pick for the midsize SUV segment, usurping Toyota's Highlander for the title. Tesla Model S was rated as the best overall car.

Among the top 10 Consumer Reports vehicle picks, five were Japanese models, such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Prius, two were German, two were made by U.S. carmakers and one was South Korean. (Yonhap News)