Hybrids and EVs are the most reliable new cars

Wednesday, 11 September 2019

The most and least reliable models across vehicle segments, as reported by What Car? readers.

UK consumer website and magazine What Car? has revealed Britain's most and least reliable new and used cars with the release of its 2019 Reliability survey, and while Land Rover and Renault owners will have nothing to cheer (or be particularly surprised) about, Toyota hybrid owners will be able to feel rather smug.

Reader feedback from more than 18,000 drivers is used to find the UK's most dependable cars, from brand new models to those up to five years old, and hybrid cars from Japanese brands topped the reliability charts, with the Lexus CT (2011 – present) and Toyota Yaris Hybrid (2011 – present) receiving a 100 per cent reliability rating from owners, indicating they suffered no faults over the previous 12 months.

The only other car to match this achievement was the Kia Soul (2014 – 2019).

It might be quite boring, but the Lexus CT scored a perfect 100 per cent reliability.

Although electric vehicles and hybrids have the best average reliability rating (96.1 per cent) of the 10 car classes in the survey, not all electric cars as dependable, with the Renault Zoe (2013 – present) scoring a lowly 82.3 per cent, with close to half (44 per cent) of Zoe owners saying their car had suffered a fault.

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The worst vehicle class for reliability was the Luxury SUV class at 86.5 per cent, with the Range Rover (2013 – present) and Range Rover Velar (2017 – present) proving the least bullet-proof; almost half of Velar owners (48 per cent) said their car experienced a fault in the past year, while 35 per cent of Range Rover owners had needed to visit a garage, with battery issues being the most common cause.

Lexus was found to be most reliable brand overall, with a 99.3 per cent reliability rating, followed by Toyota and Suzuki. Japanese and South Korean brands dominated the top 10 brand reliability rankings, occupying seven of the places. The worst brand for reliability was Land Rover, with an 81.3 per cent rating, just below the other usual suspects, Renault and Jeep.

The What Car? survey asked owners whether their car had gone wrong in the past 12 months, how long repairs took and how much they had to pay to get their vehicle back on the road.

Of the 18,119 responses 26 per cent had experienced at least one fault, with the most common problem a non-electrical engine fault. Diesel drivers were more likely to have visited a garage than owners of other types of car, with diesels accounting for 58 per cent of all faults.

Top 10 most reliable brands (cars up to five years old)

Lexus 99.3 per cent

Toyota 97.7 per cent

Suzuki 97.3 per cent

Tesla 96.9 per cent

Subaru 96.6 per cent

Kia 96.3 per cent

Hyundai 95.7 per cent

Mini 95.4 per cent

Skoda 95.2 per cent

Honda 94.9 per cent

Top 10 least reliable brands (cars up to five years old)

Land Rover 81.3 per cent

Renault 84.2 per cent

Jeep 84.4 per cent

Nissan 85.7 per cent

Vauxhall 89.4 per cent

Jaguar 89.5 per cent

Alfa Romeo 89.7 per cent

Mercedes-Benz 90.6 per cent

Porsche 91.7 per cent

Citroen 91.8 per cent