Japanese makers top huge car reliability survey but Alfa Romeo make top 5 over Honda Back in 1987 there was an advert with the punchline: ‘If only everything in life was as reliable as a […]

Back in 1987 there was an advert with the punchline: ‘If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen’. That’s advertising, branding, marketing, all making you decide that really one brand is particularly reliable. Now look at the table below. VW is in the bottom half of the table for reliability by brand. That’s not advertising, that’s the current reality according to over 14,000 car owners.

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All the data from all those people was put together in a What Car? Reliability Survey, and it makes for fascinating reading. Buying a new car is a big deal, or even getting one on a finance deal, and nobody wants to have that experience ruined by breakdowns, odd gremlins or that sound of silence as the car coasts to a halt miles from anywhere at night.

There was a lot of data, looking at cars from new to three years old. Faults were grouped into things like battery, bodywork, brakes, engine electrics and so on. Time spent fixing the problem, cost of repairs – it was all sifted through and weighted according to the severity of the issue.

All of that was then crunched into numbers, which allows us to show a numerical display of how reliable brands are. So which is the most reliable car brand, and which is the worst? Read on – and be ready to be surprised.

Reliability by brand (cars 0-3yrs old)

Brand Score 1 Lexus 92.1% 2 Mitsubishi 90.8% 3 Toyota 89.6% 4 Suzuki 86.6% 5 Alfa Romeo 85.8% 6 Honda 84.9% 7 Hyundai 84.8% 8 MG 83.4% 9 Ford 82.1% 10 Subaru 81.8% 11 Kia 81.3% 12 Audi 80.4% 13 Skoda 80.1% 14 Mini 79.6% 15 Porsche 78.3% 16 Mazda 77.9% 17 BMW 77.6% 18 Vauxhall 76.4% 19 Dacia 75.9% 20 Renault 75.4% 21 Seat 75.2% 22 Volkswagen 74.7% 23 Mercedes-Benz 70.4% 24 Fiat 70.2% 25 Volvo 62.3% 26 Jaguar 61.9% 27 Peugeot 56.7% 28 Citroën 55.2% 29 Nissan 52.7% 30 Tesla 52.4% 31 Land Rover 50.6% 32 Jeep 42.1%

Reliability tables were also produced for car groupings. Here they are:

City Cars

Small Cars

Rank Make and model Score 1 Honda Jazz (2015-present) 100.0% 2 Toyota Yaris (2011-present) 94.2% 3 Audi A1 Sportback (2012-present) 93.1% 4 Honda Jazz (2008-2015) 91.6% 5 Renault Clio petrol (2012-present) 90.1% 6 Skoda Fabia hatch and estate (2015-present) 88.7% 7 Ford Fiesta (2008-2017) 88.3% 8 Hyundai i20 petrol (2015-present) 88.2% 9 Suzuki Swift (2011-2017) 87.7% 10 Audi A1 3dr (2010-present) 86.9% 11 Renault Clio diesel (2012-present) 86.4% 12 Mini hatchback diesel (2014-present) 85.9% 13 MG 3 (2013-present) 83.4% 14 Dacia Sandero (2013-present) 82.2% 15 Mini hatchback diesel (2014-present) 80.5% 16 Hyundai i20 (2009-2015) 78.7% 17 Seat Ibiza (2009-2017) 68.0% 18 Mini Clubman (2015-present) 64.6% 19 Volkswagen Polo (2009-2017) 58.8% 20 Mazda 2 (2015-present) 52.7% 21 Nissan Note (2013-present) 48.6%

Family Cars

MPVs

Small SUVs

SUVs

Executive cars

Luxury Cars

Coupés and convertibles

Electric vehicles

The Verdict

If you look at that first list of reliability by brand, it’s noticeable that in the top six only one isn’t Japanese and that is the perhaps surprising Italian brand of Alfa Romeo.

And if you’re looking at those premium brands, only Porsche just manages to get itself into the top half, all the rest are languishing in the bottom half. Spending a lot of money on your car doesn’t mean you’ll have a more reliable car – that’s one clear message.

So what if you decide that you simply want the most reliable of cars? Well, have a look at those which scored 100%. They’re a mixed bag. There’s the Audi A3 Saloon (the brand overall was 12th); the Honda Jazz (the brand was sixth); the Lexus CT200h (with the brand being first overall as well) and the Toyota Aygo (the brand getting a podium third place overall).

If you’re wondering what the common faults were, they related to sat nav and air con, so not actual engine issues. It’s these relatively new and sometimes optional parts that seem to cause the trouble, although lower down the ranking some of the bottom brands and models suffered from some major mechanical issues, to the extent that some owners had to part fund their repair.

So plenty to think about when you look at the glossy brochure and read all the soothing words. Remember the facts, and these are they. This reliability survey is at least reliable.