[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/uks-most-and-least-reliable-cars\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/uks-most-and-least-reliable-cars\/","headline":"Revealed: UK\u2019s Most and Least Reliable Cars","name":"Revealed: UK\u2019s Most and Least Reliable Cars","description":"A study by What Car? reveals which brands and types of cars are the most and least reliable. In an ideal world, all cars would be 100% reliable. Horsepower and luxury features can be easily listed on a car\u2019s spec sheet yet it would seem you would need a crystal ball to see a car\u2019s reliability before purchasing. It\u2019s an unknown quantity and when it comes to purchasing a car, each motorist tends to have their own prejudices against particular […]","datePublished":"2021-08-27","dateModified":"2021-08-27","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/#Person","name":"Isabelle Lawrence","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/","identifier":30,"description":"Max Wheeler is a leading motoring journalist and classic car specialist at Smart Motoring, renowned for his sharp insight and infectious passion for all things automotive. With years of experience covering motoring news, supercars, and the enduring legacy of classic cars, Max brings stories to life with style and authority. Whether it\u2019s the roar of a Lamborghini, the elegance of an Aston Martin DB5, or the cultural impact of vintage motoring icons, he delivers expert commentary that inspires enthusiasts and collectors alike. Dedicated to celebrating the heritage and future of driving, Max Wheeler is your trusted voice for classic car news and beyond.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Smart Motoring","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/UKs-Most-and-Least-Reliable-Cars-FB.jpg","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/UKs-Most-and-Least-Reliable-Cars-FB.jpg","height":630,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/uks-most-and-least-reliable-cars\/","about":["LATEST CAR NEWS"],"wordCount":736,"keywords":["Reliable Cars","UK","What Car?"],"articleBody":"A study by What Car? reveals which brands and types of cars are the most and least reliable.In an ideal world, all cars would be 100% reliable. Horsepower and luxury features can be easily listed on a car\u2019s spec sheet yet it would seem you would need a crystal ball to see a car\u2019s reliability before purchasing.It\u2019s an unknown quantity and when it comes to purchasing a car, each motorist tends to have their own prejudices against particular brands and types of cars, stereotyping them as unreliable just because of the way they look or the badge on the front.The challenge is knowing which cars are unreliable and which ones will see you through years of trouble-free motoring. Can you really rely on your old mate Bob who swears that all BMW\u2019s are junk? Can you really trust an anecdotal blog post that suggests Toyotas never break, even if it is from one of the UK\u2019s leading independent motoring blogs such as Motor-Vision.co.uk? Of course not. What you need is statistics-based information and luckily, that\u2019s exactly the thing that What Car? has provided.A moderate survey of 16,328 drivers was conducted as part of What Car?\u2019s annual Reliability Survey where drivers were asked if their car had suffered any issues over the past 12 months and if so, they were asked what the issues were, how much it cost to fix and how long the car was taken off the road for. Factoring the cost of the issue and how long it took to fix as the most important indicators, a reliability rating was calculated for around 178 different models spanning 30 brands.Although some of these results may be what we would expect, such as Lexus and Toyota being in the top 5, there are some results that certainly go against popular belief. For example, who would have thought that the BMW X3 petrol would have a score of 97.7% and be rated as the most reliable large SUV? And I\u2019m sure you didn\u2019t expect small SUVs to be rated as more reliable than electric cars and small city cars on average!Top 10 most reliable brands (cars up to 5 years old):Car BrandReliability Rating %Lexus98.7%Dacia97.3%Suzuki97.1%Hyundai97.1%Toyota97.0%Mini97.0%Mitsubishi96.9%Mazda95.9%Kia95.8%MG95.7%Top 10 least reliable brands (cars up to 5 years old):BrandReliability Rating %Fiat82.0%Land Rover82.5%Ford86.2%Nissan86.2%Alfa Romeo86.5%Porsche89.4%Mercedes-Benz89.6%Vauxhall89.6%Peugeot89.6%Jaguar90.1%Reliability results by vehicle classes (cars up to five years old):Hybrid cars \u2013 96.9% class reliability ratingMost ReliableLeast ReliableLexus NX (2014 \u2013 present) \u2013 99.8%BMW X5 (2018 \u2013 present) \u2013 89.7%Small SUVs \u2013 95.2% class reliability ratingMost ReliableLeast ReliableHonda HR-V (2015 \u2013 2020) \u2013 100%Mazda CX-3 (2016 \u2013 2019) \u2013 100%Peugeot 2008 (2013 \u2013 2019) \u2013 81.8%MPVs \u2013 93.7% class reliability ratingMost ReliableLeast ReliableBMW 2 Series Active Tourer (2014 \u2013 present) \u2013 98.8%Volkswagen Touran (2015 \u2013 present) \u2013 74.1%Family SUVs \u2013 93.6% class reliability ratingMost ReliableLeast ReliableMitsubishi Eclipse Cross (2017 \u2013 present) \u2013 100%Range Rover Evoque (2011 \u2013 2019) \u2013 77.1%Large SUVs \u2013 93.6% class reliability ratingMost ReliableLeast ReliableBMW X3 petrol (2018 \u2013 present) \u2013 97.7%Nissan X-Trail (2014 \u2013 present) \u2013 59.7%Family cars \u2013 93.0% class reliability ratingMost ReliableLeast ReliableBMW 1 Series petrol (2011 \u2013 2019) \u2013 98.7%Mercedes-Benz A-Class (2018 \u2013 present) \u2013 84.8%Electric cars \u2013 92.9% class reliability ratingMost ReliableLeast ReliableNissan Leaf (2011 \u2013 2018) \u2013 98.6%Jaguar I-Pace (2018 \u2013 present) \u2013 86.3%Coupes, convertibles and sports cars \u2013 92.8% class reliability ratingMost ReliableLeast ReliableAudi TT (2014 \u2013 present) \u2013 100%Mini Convertible (2016 \u2013 present) \u2013 100%Porsche 718 Cayman (2015 \u2013 present) \u2013 73.5%Executive cars \u2013 92.8% class reliability ratingMost ReliableLeast ReliableSkoda Superb petrol (2015 \u2013 present) \u2013 99.2%Mercedes-Benz C-Class diesel (2014 \u2013 present) \u2013 80.9%Small cars \u2013 91.9% class reliability ratingMost ReliableLeast ReliableDacia Sandero (2013 \u2013 2020) \u2013 100%Ford Fiesta (2017 \u2013 present) \u2013 74.9%Luxury cars \u2013 90.4% class reliability ratingMost ReliableLeast ReliableBMW 5 Series petrol (2017 \u2013 present) \u2013 96.9%Audi A6 (2011 \u2013 2018) \u2013 82.1%Luxury SUVs \u2013 88.8% class reliability ratingMost ReliableLeast ReliablePorsche Macan petrol (2014 \u2013 present) \u2013 97.9%Land Rover Discovery (2017 \u2013 present) \u2013 72.1%Also worth noting is that of the 16,000 drivers surveyed, 20% of them had experienced a fault with their car in the past 12 months and 85% of those faults were repaired at no cost.Overall, hybrid cars were the most reliable on average and luxury SUVs were the least reliable. This goes against the popular narrative of hybrids being less reliable due to them having both a conventional internal combustion engine and an electric battery and motor. Also, it is worth noting that although Lexus may have topped the leaderboard as the most reliable brand, their market share is only a fraction of more popular brands such as Ford, Toyota and Mini, which means that the sample size for Lexus cars was likely much smaller and the average may not be accurate.Let us know your thoughts on these stats, in the comments.If you enjoyed this, you may also like: \u2018Showdown: Electric SUVs Rated By Looks\u2019"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Latest News","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Revealed: UK\u2019s Most and Least Reliable Cars","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/uks-most-and-least-reliable-cars\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]