In association with MotorEasy
Britain's most reliable cars 2024 (plus the ones that'll let you down)
We asked 30,000 drivers what their car is really like to own. Here are the most reliable cars you can buy...
Reliability is one of the key concerns of anyone who is choosing their next car. After all, nobody relishes the time, inconvenience and potential expense of a car breaking down and requiring repair.
But how do you really know whether a car is likely to be a faithful friend, or a frustrating foe?
In the most recent What Car? reliability survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, a massive 29,967 motorists responded to tell us which are Britain's most reliable cars — and which are the least dependable.
As well as telling us if their cars had suffered any faults over the last 12 months, they also told us how much each issue cost to fix and how long it kept their cars off the road. Cost and inconvenience are the two biggest headaches of dealing with a faulty car, so we used responses on these issues to create a unique reliability rating for each car and brand.
As well as rating each car for the cost of faults and time off the road, we also asked owners to tell us which area of their car was affected by the problem. This means we can tell you the kind of faults encountered by each model, helping you to make an informed decision.
Our data is fully independent, gathered from real car owners and the experiences they've had with their cars, while some other reliability reports simply quote data from aftermarket warranty providers.
We've split our results into different car and SUV categories, with a page dedicated to each one. So, if, for example, you want to find out the most reliable electric car, you can use our most reliable electric cars. Or if you're curious to know what the least reliable small SUV is, we have a page for that car class, too.
We only focus on cars up to five years old because that covers the minimum three-year new car warranty as well as another two years where faults are less likely to be fixed for free.
The 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey is live, tell us about your car now
Britain's most reliable cars
=1. Lexus NX (2014-2021)
Reliability rating 100%
The previous-generation Lexus NX is your best bet if you want a fault-free family SUV. This bulletproof model has been the highest-rated family SUV for two years running. Last year just 2% of owners told us they'd had minor glitches with their cars, and this year no owners at all reported any faults. This means almost all NX owners have enjoyed two years without any breakdowns or surprise bills.
This year and last, the used-only NX also outperformed the latest version of the car. Last year the current model was in second place, and this year it scores 97.6% and lies in fifth place. So if you're after an ultra-dependable family SUV, look no further than the Lexus NX.
Reliability rating 100%
However, you don't have to splash out on a premium brand SUV to get a reliable car. Toyota’s tiniest and most affordable car has outdone its bigger siblings in the latest survey by gaining a perfect reliability rating of 100%. This makes it the joint highest scoring model in our survey, alongside the Lexus NX, and also the top rated small car.
The 100% score indicates that not one of the Aygo Xs in our survey had any glitches at all. That means not a single Aygo X owner has needed to seek assistance from dealers at all in the previous 24 months. This is great news for anyone after a small, affordable second car, or new drivers who need a car that's cheap to own and insure.
3. Mini Countryman (2017-2024)
Reliability rating 99.7%
The Countryman isn’t only the most dependable small SUV you can buy; it’s also the most reliable Mini model in the survey. That's no small achievement when you consider that the brand is rated the best overall in this year's survey, toppling Lexus from first place - a position it's held for the past seven years. Other highly-rated Mini models include the Convertible and Mini Electric.
Mini Countryman owners told us just 2% of their cars had any issues and these were restricted to niggles with the bodywork. With all these foibles sorted out at no cost and in less than a week, the Countryman has kept its owners extremely happy.
4. Audi Q2 (2016-present)
Reliability rating 99.5%
The Audi Q2 is just behind the Mini Countryman in the small SUV reliability chart, making it the second most dependable model. It's also the highest-achieving Audi model in the survey, beating larger siblings, such as the Audi Q3 family SUV and Audi Q7 seven-seater.
Almost all of the Audi Q2s in our survey behaved impeccably, according to owners. Only 3% reported any issues, all of which concerned engine faults that prevented the affected cars from being driven. Other Audi models were afflicted by a range of electrical issues, including infotainment system faults, but that's not the case with the Q2. Although all Audi Q2 faults took more than a week to put right, they were corrected at no cost to owners.
=5. Kia Picanto (2017-2024)
Reliability rating 99.3%
This version of the Picanto may no longer be on sale new, but it’s well worth considering if you're after a bulletproof city car. It's the second most dependable small car. A mere 6% of examples aged up to five years old had any issues, and the only problematic area was the gearbox/clutch.
Kia's seven-year new car warranty is one of the best in the UK, and it does a good job of covering the cost of all unexpected faults. The Picanto is proof of this: all the cars we were told about were fixed for free. Even better news for owners is that remedial work was swift: all problems were resolved in a day or less.
=5. Lexus ES (2018-present)
Reliability rating 99.3%
The ES may be rather a left-field choice in the executive car class, but it's well worth having on your list of potential purchases, because it is the most dependable executive car, outclassing premium German rivals, such as the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, when it comes to dependability.
Only 4% of ES owners reported issues, and only with the sat-nav/infotainment systems. Even though many of the cars reported on would have exceeded the car maker's standard three-year/60,0000mile warranty, Lexus covered the cost of all remedial work. That meant the only real inconvenience for owners was that they had to wait between one and seven days to get their cars back.
=5. Porsche 718 Boxster / Cayman (2016-present)
Reliability rating 99.3%
We've considered the 718 Boxster convertible and Cayman coupe together because they are the same under the skin. Each one is the top in its class for reliability, and they are also the most affordable models in the Porsche line-up.
Only 6% of Porsche’s mid-engined roadsters and its coupé siblings had any glitches, according to owners, and the only area of concern was the bodywork. Getting things fixed was easy, too. Even though many cars would have been outside the new car warranty period, Porsche's technicians completed all work at no cost. Even better for owners who want to get back out in their cars, all work was completed in a day or less.
Porsche 718 Boxster / Porsche Cayman review
=5. Skoda Octavia petrol (2013-2020)
Reliability rating 99.3%
If you're after a roomy and reliable family hatchback, petrol versions of the previous-generation Skoda Octavia should be high on your shopping list. It's the highest-rated family hatch for dependability, and the best model in Skoda's line-up.
It's worth noting that some of the latest Skoda models, including the new Octavia, have had a high percentage of electrical issues, in particular problems with their infotainment systems, but the used-only Octavia isn't affected by these.
Only 6% of the older petrol Octavias in our survey suffered any glitches; that's far less than the current car, which has a fault rate of 36%. All issues were inconsequential, too, because they didn’t cause any breakdowns and were put right in less than a day. All work was done for free.
Skoda Octavia petrol used review
=9. Mini Convertible (2016-2024)
Reliability rating 99.2%
The Mini Convertible is just as stylish and fun to drive as its hatchback sibling, and owners tell us that it's even more reliable: the Mini hatchback gained a reliability rating of 97.9%. Like the hatchback, it comes with a range of strong engines and a smart, refined interior.
Only 7% of Mini Convertibles exhibited faults, and the sat-nav/infotainment system was the only area that gave owners any grief. All of the affected cars were put right in a day or less, and Mini covered the cost of all remedial work even though some cars would have exceeded the standard three-year/unlimited mileage warranty, ensuring that disruption was kept to a minimum for owners.
=9. Tesla Model Y (2021-present)
Reliability rating 99.2%
Tesla has really turned round the reliability of its cars over the past few years and the Model Y is testament to this. Not only is it the highest-scoring electric SUV, it’s also the best electric car overall for reliability.
Only 4% of the examples we heard about went wrong, and all were fixed for free. Tesla operates a mobile service scheme, which allows owners to have their cars serviced, and any faults fixed, at a location of their choosing, which should keep the disruption caused to a minimum. That does appear to be the case with the Model Y, because owners told us that three-quarters of their cars were fixed the same day, and the rest were back on the road in less than a week.
Reliability rating 50.0%
The second-generation Nissan Juke is an affordable small SUV, with a smart and practical interior and appealing exterior styling. However, it's also the lowest-scoring small SUV in the survey - and it’s the worst model overall for reliability.
Nearly a third (31%) of the Jukes reported on went wrong, and 80% of these were rendered undriveable by their faults. Issues with the 12-volt battery were the most frequently cited problem, followed by troubles with the engine. There were also some reports of faults with the brake and fuel systems and various electrical components.
Owners told us that 66% of their cars were off the road for more than a week. Nissan only covered the cost of remedial work in 35% of cases, and 52% of faults cost more than £1500 each to put right.
2. MG 4 (2022-present)
Reliability rating 63.8%
The MG 4 is one of the most affordable electric cars you can buy, with prices that undercut some petrol and diesel alternatives. However, it's the lowest scoring electric model in our survey, because it has a fairly high percentage of faults and cars that go wrong can be slow and expensive to fix.
Owners told us that 30% of their cars went wrong overall. They reported issues in almost all of our fault categories, including non-motor electrics, interior trim, bodywork, motor, sat-nav/ infotainment, battery/charging system, gearbox/clutch and motor electrics.
MG only paid for repairs in 55% of cases, leaving 39% of owners with bills of £1000 or more. Many faults caused a lot of inconvenience too, because 68% of affected cars took more than a week to put right.
3. Vauxhall Mokka Electric (2020-present)
Reliability rating 65.6%
On the plus side, the Vauxhall Mokka Electric is a good-looking, comfortable small SUV. Delve into its reliability record, though and you'll soon discover it's lowest-scoring electric SUV, with a high fault rate and slow repairs.
According to owners, 55% of Mokka Electrics went wrong. Although a third of problems were sorted out in a day or less, 56% of broken cars were out of action for more than a week.
Vauxhall paid for the work on 92% of cars, but that left 8% of owners with bills that topped £1500. The 12-volt battery accounted for 30% of problems and there were also lots of issues reported with the sat-nav/infotainment system and aircon.
Vauxhall Mokka Electric review
4. Kia Sportage diesel (2016-2021)
Reliability rating 66.2%
It's unusual to see a Kia model at the bottom of a reliability chart because the brand mostly produces robust vehicles that keep it in or around the top 10 overall.
However, diesel versions of the used-only Sportage suffered a high percentage of faults and were slow to be repaired, pushing them into the bottom place for family SUVs. Petrol versions fared much better, gaining an overall rating of 93.4%.
Owners told us 56% of their diesel Sportages went wrong, compared with only 20% of petrol models. Half of faulty cars were in the garage for more than a week, and, although 83% of cars were fixed for free, 8% of bills exceeded £1500. Twenty-four percent of problems were with the engine, and 20% were with the gearbox/clutch.
Reliability rating 68.8%
Mazda doesn't often appear in the lower end of our reliability tables, but its CX-60 family SUV bucks this trend. It's the least dependable model in the current Mazda line-up and the second worst family SUV for dependability.
A whopping 62% of owners told us they'd had glitches with their cars. A third had suspension issues, a similar proportion had electrical faults and 24% had steering problems. There were also problems with engine and non-engine electrics, the fuel system and the gearbox.
Although a third of issues were put right in a day or less, 43% of owners told us their cars took more than a week to fix. At least Mazda covered all repair costs.
6. MG ZS Electric (2019-present)
Reliability rating 69.3%
The MG ZS EV is a roomy, well-equipped and well-priced electric SUV. It's far too prone to problems, though and repairs can be slow and sometimes costly.
Forty-three percent of the MG ZS EVs in our survey had problems, according to owners, and 82% of broken cars were in the workshop for more than a week. The air-con system and the 12-volt battery were the main culprits, but there were also issues with the drive battery/charging, various non-motor electrical systems and the bodywork.
Although MG covered the cost of 82% of repair bills, some owners were left seriously out of pocket: 10% of faults totalled between £1000 and more than £1500.
Reliability rating 70.4%
The current Golf has been plagued by issues with infotainment and other electrical systems, and there have been additional issues with diesel models and some of these have been pricey to fix, according to owners. While petrol and hybrid Golf models lie fourth from bottom in the family car reliability chart, with a score of 84.1%, the diesel Golf resides right at the bottom of the class.
Overall, 30% of diesel Golfs also suffered a problem, with gearbox / clutch glitches and problems with the infotainment system the most common complaints. There were also issues with the air-con and bodywork. A third of cars were in the workshop for more than a week. Only 41% of faulty cars were fixed for free, and while some repair bills were low, 11% of owners faced bills of £1000 or more.
8. Vauxhall Corsa Electric (2019-present)
Reliability rating 72.2%
The Corsa Electric is a decent electric car and a worthy rival to the Renault Zoe and Mini Electric in many respects, although reliability isn't one of them. It's the second most unreliable electric car, and when it does go wrong it's slow to fix.
The Corsa Electric is more fault-prone than its petrol sibling, with 25% of owners reporting issues, compared with 14% of petrol Corsa owners. The main causes for concern were the air-con, drive battery/charging and non-motor electrics.
Half of the cars that went wrong were in the garage for more than a week. Repairs were free for 61% of owners, and while most of the rest didn’t pay more than £500, 6% of issues cost between £750 and £1000 to put right.
Reliability rating 78.3%
The previous Evoque isn't ageing well. It is the second worst family SUV for reliability and the lowest-scoring model in the Land Rover line-up with a 35% fault rate. It scores nearly 10% less than the current Evoque, which has a reliability rating of 86.9%, because owners told us that it was far pricier to fix.
Issues with the engine electrics and suspension each accounted for 15% of faults. There were also reports of problems with the bodywork, engine, exhaust and interior trim.
Although two-thirds of cars remained driveable, 62% were off the road for more than a week. And, while 86% of cars were fixed for free, the rest cost more than £1500 per fault.
Range Rover Evoque used buying guide
10. Seat Leon (2020-present)
Reliability rating 74.2%
A high fault rate puts the Leon in the bottom three for family cars: 58% of the cars reported on went wrong, most (53%) with the sat-nav/ infotainment problems that have afflicted a large number of Volkswagen Group models. Other problem areas included other electrical systems, the gearbox / clutch and suspension. No wonder it's also the lowest scoring Seat model.
Although most cars could still be driven, their faults were slow to resolve, with 62% of cars sitting in workshops for more than a week. While Seat covered the cost of 97% of fixes, easing some of the pain, the remaining issues cost more than £1500 each to put right.
How the research was carried out
The What Car? Reliability Survey is open to everyone who visits whatcar.com or subscribes to What Car? magazine. Responses were received from car owners around the UK.
We ask them to tell us if their car had suffered a fault in the previous 24 months, and if so what area of the car was affected. We then ask them to expand on this by telling us how much they had to pay to get the fault fixed and how long their car was in the workshop.
We use the information to create a unique reliability rating for each model and brand where we have a large enough response rate. These two factors are more important than how many faults a car suffered, because they determine how much inconvenience and expense a problem caused.
To gain an in-depth understanding of what goes wrong, we asked owners to describe issues in various categories: air-con, battery, bodywork, brakes, engine or motor, engine or motor electrics, exhaust, fuel system, gearbox/clutch, interior trim, non-engine or motor electrics, sat-nav/infotainment, steering and suspension systems.
Furthermore, specific categories for EVs, including charging and drive battery issues, as well as difficulties with electric motors, helped us to build a better picture of EV ownership.
This year, we have data for 199 models (up to five years old) from 31 brands. Where we have a large enough sample size, we separate diesel, electric, hybrid and petrol versions.
Are cars getting more reliable?
We've seen an improvement in reliability over the past seven years – the percentage of cars aged up to five years old going wrong has dropped from 27% in 2018 to 22% in 2024.
True, the percentage of cars being fixed for free by manufacturers has dropped a little from 87% in 2020 to 82% this year, but that still means the majority of newer cars don't land owners with hefty repair bills.
That's especially pleasing when you consider that there has been a significant shift in the new car market over the past few years, with a huge increase in the number of complicated hybrid and cutting-edge pure electric models being offered by existing brands and some newer ones.
What are the most reliable cars and brands?
When it comes to reliability, a car’s brand is a better indicator of its durability than its fuel type. Mini claims the top spot this year, with a near-faultless score for all five of the diesel, electric and petrol models reported on in our survey. The shining stars were the Countryman, which gained 99.7%, making it the highest-scoring SUV overall, and the Mini Electric, which was the best EV with a rating of 98.4%.
Former winner Lexus was just 0.4% behind Mini. The ES claimed the top spot in the executive class, while the 2014-2021 NX was the best family SUV and the 2016-2022 RX the top luxury car.The NX and Toyota Aygo X were also the only models to achieve a full 100% reliability rating.
Suzuki wasn’t far behind the top two brands, with the 2017-2024 Swift and current Vitara scoring 95.7% and 97.7% respectively. Brands to make it into the top 10 for the first time include Citroën, Dacia and Renault. Credit also goes to Tesla for turning round the reliability of its cars; the Model Y the highest scoring electric SUV in the latest survey.
Meanwhile, Cupra and Volkswagen appear to be starting to recover from the spate of electronic glitches that marred their scores last year, but Audi and Seat haven’t improved their ratings as much.
While Land Rover is still in the bottom half of the chart, it’s heartening to see it out of the bottom three. MG now occupies the bottom place, due to a high fault rate and slow repairs. Its overall score was also not helped by the large proportion of MG 4 owners who faced large repair bills.
Also propping up the bottom of the chart are Alfa Romeo and Vauxhall. Many Giulia and Stelvio owners said their cars had spent lengthy stints in workshops, and the Giulia could also be costly to repair.
Vauxhall’s Corsa Electric and Mokka Electric were its lowest scorers; both were in the bottom three in their respective classes.
Which cars cost the most (and the least) to repair?
While 82% of the cars in our survey had their faults fixed for free, the flipside is that 3% of car owners were left facing bills that exceeded £1500 for each issue. When it comes to costly repairs, the current Nissan Juke stands out, with 52% of faulty cars costing their owners more than £1500 to repair.
The latest Porsche Cayenne can also be a costly car to live with; 40% of owners had to fund repairs costing more than £1500. And although the Jaguar F-Type and Peugeot 208 don’t have much in common, both models left 33% of owners with bills that topped £1500 per fault.
At the other end of the scale, Audi pleased owners of Q2, Q3, Q4 e-tron and Q5 models by fixing 100% of their faults for free. Overall, though, the brand paid for only 79% of repairs.
Are petrol, diesel, electric or hybrid cars most reliable?
In spite of their complex engine and motor combinations, hybrids and plug-in hybrids are the least likely type of car to go wrong . Only 19% of cars with this power set-up had a glitch. Petrol cars are the next best bet if you’re after a dependable motor, with a fault rate of 22%.
While some electric cars (EVs) never put a foot wrong, others suffered a range of issues affecting motor and non-motor electrics, and some also had faults with their charging systems. Overall, 27% of EVs had a glitch.
Meanwhile, diesel cars are the most likely to suffer a fault, with nearly a third (31%) of those in our survey having a problem. Diesels are also the least likely to be fixed for free; manufacturers covered the cost of only 67% of repairs for cars of this type, and 6% of owners paid out more than £1500 in repair bills.
In contrast, 91% of hybrid owners had their cars fixed free, and only 2% of them had to find more than £1500 to cover fixes. Next best are EVs, 89% of which were fixed for free, followed by petrol cars, 79% of which were fixed at no cost. Only 3% of EV and petrol car owners faced bills of more than £1500.
To read the reliability data for other car classes follow these links:
Most reliable car brands (2024)
Most reliable small cars (2024)
Most reliable family cars (2024)
Most reliable executive cars (2024)
Most reliable luxury cars (2023)
Most reliable small SUVs (2024)
Most reliable family SUVs (2024)
Most reliable large SUVs (2023)
Most reliable seven-seaters (2023)
Most reliable electric cars (2024)
Most reliable electric SUVs (2023)
Most reliable sports cars (2023)
Most reliable diesel cars (2023)
Most reliable petrol cars (2023)
Most reliable hybrid cars (2023)
About the report author
Claire Evans has been a motoring journalist for more than 30 years, much of that time spent specialising in consumer issues. She was a troubleshooting advice columnist for Carweek magazine in the 1990s, helping car owners with faulty cars get the right level of reparation from car makers.
She also spent six years working on motoring content for Which?, and it is here she oversaw the running of the charity's annual used car reliability survey.
Claire launched the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2017, and since then has helped thousands of buyers choose the most reliable new cars and SUVs, as well as the most dependable used cars. The survey data is also shared with car makers, who use it to find out more about issues with models and the areas where they could provide better customer service.
Next: Most and least reliable car brands >>
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