Most and least reliable used cars: large SUVs

The most reliable large SUVs 

1. Honda CR-V (2006-2012)

Reliability rating 95.7%

Even though some of the CR-Vs reported on are up to 15 years old, they're still proving pretty bulletproof. Only 10% of the cars in our survey went wrong, with owners reporting problems with the air-con, engine, gearbox and sat-nav. Most cars remained driveable and two-thirds of repairs were completed in a day or less. Understandably, no cars were fixed for free, but two-thirds of bills were below £300 and nobody paid out more than £750 to get their car repaired.  

Used Honda cars for sale >>

2. Toyota RAV4 (2013-2019)

Reliability rating 94.1%

Battery issues were the most common complaint from the 17% of RAV4 owners whose cars were faulty. There were also a small number of problems with the brakes and various electrical systems. Thirty percent of cars were fixed for free, and no repair bills topped £200. Just as impressive, 80% of remedial work was done in a day or less, and all cars were back on the road in less than a week. 

Used Toyota cars for sale >>

3. Honda CR-V petrol (2012-2018)

Reliability rating 92.8%

Petrol CR-Vs are far less prone to problems than diesel models: 18% of petrol cars went wrong, compared with 34% of diesels. The main bugbears were issues with the bodywork, electrics and gearbox/clutch. Almost all the cars reported on remained driveable, and half were out of the garage within a day. Even better news is that 21% of remedial work was done for free, and most owners who had to pay were charged less than £200. Only 5% of repairs cost between £1000 and £1500. 

Used Honda cars for sale >>

The least reliable large SUVs

3. Ford Kuga (2008-2013)

Reliability rating 61.6%

Exhaust issues were the most common complaint of the 35% of older Kuga owners who reported a fault with their car. They also told us they had problems with the battery, brakes, electrics, engine, fuel system and suspension. While 50% of repair bills were below £200, 12% of owners paid out much more – between £751 and £1500. Faults rendered 35% of car undriveable, and 45% were in the workshop for more than a week. 

2. Nissan X-Trail (2014-2021)

Reliability rating 58.3%

Not only does the X-Trail suffer a high percentage of faults, in many cases it has also been costly and time-consuming to fix. Forty-five percent of X-Trails went wrong, with problems in a range of areas including the air-con, battery, brakes, electrics, engine and gearbox. Owners told us that faults rendered 35% of their cars undriveable, and 40% of them took more than a week to repair. Although a third of repairs were done for free, 50% of cars cost up to £500 to fix and 10% cost more than £1500.

1. Land Rover Discovery Sport (2014-present)

Reliability rating 55.4%

The Discovery Sport suffers lots of problems – 44% of the cars in our survey went wrong – and it can be expensive and slow to put right. The most common problem areas were the battery, electrics, engine, exhaust and steering. Although 34% of cars were fixed for free, 22% of owners were landed with bills in excess of £1500. Most cars could still be driven, but 25% were off the road for more than a week. 

To read the data for other car classes follow these links:

Small cars here
Family cars here
Executive cars here
Luxury cars here
Small SUVs here
Family SUVs here
Luxury SUVs here
Electric and hybrid cars here
Sports cars here
MPVs here
Car brands here

Reliability of large SUVs aged six to 20 years old

<< Previous | Next: Most and least reliable luxury SUVs >>

Page 7