Two series of $$\hbox {LaNi}_{\mathrm{x}}\hbox {Al}_{1-\mathrm{x}}\hbox {O}_{3}$$ catalysts $$(0\le \hbox {x}\le 1)$$ were prepared by hydrothermal and sol–gel methods and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET surface area, Temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and Fourier- transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. The performance of these catalysts was studied for $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ reforming of methane (also called dry reforming of methane, DRM) at atmospheric pressure and in the temperature range of $$600{-}800{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}$$ , maintaining a space velocity of $$28{,}800\hbox { h}^{-1}$$ . Catalysts containing trimetallic perovskite showed higher $$\hbox {CH}_{4}$$ and $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ conversions than the bimetallic perovskite, due to the strong interaction of Ni with the former. Strong interaction increased the reduction temperature of the active species and reduced the sintering of metallic particles. At $$800{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}$$ , the sol–gel catalysts reached their maximum activity in terms of both $$\hbox {CH}_{4}$$ and $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ conversions at x = 0.3, whereas the same for hydrothermal catalysts required a Ni ratio x = 0.6. The trimetallic perovskite formation was responsible for the catalyst stability. A comparison of the best catalysts from the two series revealed that the hydrothermal catalysts exhibited a slightly better performance during the time on stream analysis. The results are interpreted in terms of changes in the physicochemical properties of the catalysts. La–Ni–Al trimetallic perovskite formation gives higher $$\hbox {CH}_{4}$$ and $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ conversions than the La–Ni bimetallic perovskite in the catalysts. The strong interaction between the metallic Ni and the defined structure prevents sintering of metal particles. The high dispersion of Ni enhances the activity. The incorporation of third metal into the bimetallic perovskite lattice increases the lattice defects thereby producing the mobile oxygen, which helps decrease coke accumulation on the surface of the catalysts.