Top 10 Most and Least Reliable Cars

4th April 2024

Intelligent Motoring, owners of MotorEasy, have published their latest research on vehicle reliability and, according to their findings, if you want a fail-safe second-hand car-purchase, think small, compact and German.

Their exhaustive trawl through 38,000 warranty repair claims reveals the Volkswagen Up! in pole position.
Nipping at its heels, the Kia Sedona and Lexus CT, secure a close second and third position, underlining the growing reputation for reliability amongst Korean car manufacturers.

A Robust Study

The research is part of an ongoing study that covers some 274 different models across 44 manufacturers and over a 150,000 years’ worth of vehicles under cover. With a primary focus on cars aged between 3 and 12 years old, it provides a robust study of long-term repair costs at a key moment of relevance to motorists - when their vehicles have exited their original manufacturer warranty and their owners are effectively on the hook for repair bills.

Duncan McClure Fisher, CEO of Intelligent Motoring, MotorEasy’s parent company says, “Sadly, production of the Volkswagen up! came to a halt last year, making way for VW’s growing range of electric cars. However, VW’s iconic city car offers true affordability when it comes to vehicle ownership, coming top of our latest reliability league table. Both the Kia Sedona and Lexus CT were also discontinued in recent years in the UK, but car buyers looking for a quality second-hand vehicle that offers financial peace of mind would be wise to put all three at the top of their list for review.

“Whilst reliability and ongoing maintenance and repair costs are amongst the most important factors buyers should research when selecting their next new or used car, other considerations include practicality and size, value depreciation, fuel economy and the cost to insure and tax it.”

The vehicles taking the bottom three places in the latest Reliability Index are the Range Rover, Range Rover Velar and the Land Rover Discovery. Models from premium brands Audi, Bentley and Porsche also feature in the least reliable top ten.

The average warranty claim cost for the Range Rover was a staggering £5,998. This was coupled with an above-average frequency of repairs needed. However, the high cost of Range Rover repairs is flattered by the fact they reflect MotorEasy’s preferential rates on parts and labour. If a Range Rover owner went directly to a franchised Land Rover dealer, they would likely see the equivalent repair costs easily exceed £7,000.

“Would-be buyers may be surprised to see the variety of models included at the top of our latest Reliability Index, but less surprised by those at the bottom, which suggests that prestige cars with big price tags don’t necessarily come with guaranteed reliability or savings on repairs” continues Duncan McClure-Fisher.

“Buyers should always listen to their head, not heart, when buying a car, taking reliability and cost to repair into account, ensuring they will be able to afford the ownership costs that come with their chosen vehicle. This is where a warranty can provide peace of mind and prove to be good value for money, while set payments are easier to manage within the household budget than potentially high unexpected repair bills.”