Most and least reliable used cars and SUVs

We name the most dependable – and most troublesome – secondhand cars and SUVs aged from six to 20 years old, based on owners’ experiences...

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Used car prices are still at record high levels, and that means it’s more important than ever to choose your second-hand car wisely. Reliability is a crucial factor in keeping costs down – especially if you’re buying an older car that’s no longer covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. 

That's where the annual What Car? Reliability Survey can help because it reveals the used car models that are paragons of dependability, and the ones that could end up as costly money pits.

The 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey is live, tell us about your car now

Each model and each brand are given a reliability rating based on how much they cost owners in repair bills and how long they spent in the garage getting fixed. To enhance the breadth of the information we can give car buyers, we also ask them to let us know which components caused the most grief. Our used car reliability data covers cars aged from six to 20 years old.

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