What Car? Reliability Survey: Most and least reliable luxury cars

Luxury cars are the epitome of opulence, laden with every creature comfort you can imagine and providing their occupants with acres of interior space in which to relax.

However, that chilled feeling could turn rather hot if your expensive motor lets you down. And the bad news is that luxury cars and luxury SUVs are among the least reliable cars on the road. 

This year the average luxury car score of 91.1% was the third worst of all classes in our Reliability Survey and it's been a similar story in previous years, too. However, there are still some strong performers, such as the 2016-2022 Lexus RX, which was the highest scoring car in this class.

That said, the fault rate for luxury cars is pretty high at 23%, and many cars had problems with various electrical systems, including the sat-nav/infotainment system. 

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Most reliable luxury car

1. Lexus RX (2016-2022)

Reliability rating 98.8%

• Most common faults: Bodywork 3%

• Average repair cost: £0

• Typical time off road: 100% one day or less

The Lexus RX may not be the last word in driver enjoyment or sporty handling, but it is extremely well-appointed, comfortable and dependable. Most of the used examples you'll find are hybrids, which combine a 3.5-litre engine with an electric motor to produce 308bhp. They're the Lexus alternative to a diesel, and work well combining adequate performance with decent economy. 

Like the smaller Lexus NX, these hybrid examples of the RX demonstrate that having a complex power source is no barrier to being reliable: only 3% of the RX models in our survey went wrong. In even better news for owners, all problematic cars could still be driven and were back on the road in a day or less, and Lexus covered the cost of all repair work.

Owner’s view: “It’s a Lexus, so I’m confident that my car won’t let me down.”

Used Lexus RX review

2. BMW X5 (2018-present)

Reliability rating 96.4%

• Most common faults: Bodywork 6%, engine 6%, non-engine electrics 2%, suspension 2%

• Average repair cost: 88% cost £0

• Typical time off road: 75% one day or less

The BMW X5 is a smooth, classy and luxurious SUV. It's not quite as practical as the most spacious rivals out there, but it's plenty big enough for a family of four.

It's also a robust vehicle, according to owners who told us only 12% of their X5s had gone wrong. Most problems were small and easy to remedy. The most common issues were with the bodywork and engine, and three-quarters of the faults were put right in a day or less.  

Although BMW covered the cost of repairs in most instances, some owners were left seriously out of pocket. They told us that 88% of repairs were done at no cost, but 12% of remedial work cost between £751 and £1000

Three-quarters of faulty cars could still be driven and their issues were sorted out in a day or less, 13% took up to a week and the rest took more than a week. 

BMW X5 review

3. Range Rover Sport (2014-2022) 

Reliability rating 95.3%

• Most common faults: Brakes 14%, engine 5%

• Average repair cost: 90% £0, 10% £751-£1000

• Typical time off road: 90% one day or less, 10% up to a week

Like the latest Range Rover Sport, the previous-generation version has the same underpinnings as its larger sibling, the 2013-2022 Range Rover. That's a good thing because it offers an excellent blend of stability and relative agility. It isn’t the most athletic SUV, and it doesn't have as much grip and body control as some rivals, but it’s an easy car to drive along a twisty road.

It's also proving more robust than the larger Range Rover, with a fault rate of 22%. The most common areas of concern were the brakes and engine, though some owners also reported issues with the bodywork, engine electrics and exhaust.  

Land Rover covered the cost of most repairs, but 10% of faults set owners back between £751 and £1000 each. All faulty cars could still be driven, though, and most were fixed in a day or less. 

Used Range Rover Sport review

4. Audi Q8 (2019-present)

Reliability rating 93.0%

• Most common faults: Air-con 13%, sat-nav/infotainment system 13% bodywork 6%, engine electrics 6%

• Average repair cost: £0

• Typical time off road: 66% one day to one week, 33% more than a week

The Audi Q8 should be on your wishlist if you're after a luxury coupe SUV. It's offered with a range of strong engines, and it handles capably and cruises quietly. Inside, it's classy and spacious, although, like the other models in this round-up, it's only offered with five seats. 

The Q8 has a fairly high fault rate of 25%, with lots of owners reporting issues with the air-con and sat-nav/infotainment system. Although all cars could still be driven, repairs were enacted fairly slowly: two-thirds took up to a week and the rest took longer than that. 

At least Audi covered the cost of all repairs, so no owners were left out of pocket. 

Audi Q8 review

5. Range Rover Sport (2022-present)

Reliability rating 92.6%

• Most common faults: drive battery/charging 7%, exhaust 7%, non-engine electrics 7%

• Average repair cost: £0

• Typical time off road: 100% more than a week

The Range Rover Sport is based on the same platform as the Range Rover so it benefits from the bigger car’s luxurious interior, impressive off-roading ability and good range of engine options. However, it's more compact, more nimble and arguably more usable than its longer, taller stablemate.

It's also less prone to problems: 20% of the Range Rover Sports we heard about had a problem, compared with 28% of Range Rovers. Problem areas included various electrical systems, the exhaust and the plug-in hybrid battery pack. 

The bad news is that all faulty cars were rendered undriveable, and and they all sat in the workshop for more than a week. The good news is that Land Rover fixed all issues for free. 

Range Rover Sport review

Least reliable luxury cars

1. Porsche Cayenne (2018-2023)

Reliability rating 84.6%

• Most common faults: Non-engine electrics 18%, 12-volt battery 6%, drive battery/charging 6%

• Average repair cost: 60% cost £0, 40% cost more than £1500

• Typical time off road: 80% more than a week

The Cayenne is a large sports SUV with a range of high-performance engines and impressive agility for such a large, tall vehicle. It's also pretty practical, with a roomy, classy interior and a big boot.  

Porsche’s big luxury SUV can’t match its smaller sibling for durability, though; 24% of Cayennes went wrong, compared with 13% of Macans. It can be expensive to fix when it does go wrong, too, according to owners. Porsche covered only 60% of the repair costs in full, leaving 40% of affected owners to pay £1500 or more per fault.

Although 60% of faulty cars remained driveable, repairs were slow in many instances: 80% of the vehicles we were told about took more than a week to put right.

Owner’s view: “Porsche has tried to fix my car twice, but it still doesn’t work properly.”

Porsche Cayenne review

2. Mercedes GLE (2019-present)

Reliability rating 88.2%

• Most common faults: Non-engine electrics 24%, exhaust 7%, suspension 7%

• Average repair cost: £0

• Typical time off road: 43% more than a week, 39% one day or less

Some rivals are more practical and better to drive, but the Mercedes GLE has a dazzling interior, is a comfortable cruiser, and comes with lashings of equipment. There is a wide range of engines to choose from, including plug-in hybrids that will officially do more than 60 miles on pure electric power. 

However, it has a fairly high fault rate of 35%, with 24% of issues affecting a range of electrical systems. Although most of the problems didn't render the vehicles undriveable, some repairs were slow: nearly half (43%) were out of action for more than seven days. 

Mercedes covered the cost of all rectification work, though, taking the sting out for many owners. 

Mercedes GLE review

3. Range Rover (2013-2022)

Reliability rating 90.9%

• Most common faults: Bodywork 11%, non-engine electrics 11%, engine 6%

• Average repair cost: 80% cost £0, 20% cost more than £1500

• Typical time off road: 40% more than a week, 40% one day or less

Reliability has been a long-term issue for Land Rover, and the Range Rover has graced the bottom of our charts frequently. However, it's faring better these days, and its score of 90.9% is acceptable.

Overall, 28% of the Range Rovers reported on had a problem, mostly with the bodywork and electrics. However, four out of five faulty vehicles could still be driven and 40% were fixed in less than a day. 

Land Rover paid for all the remedial work in 80% of cases, but that left an unlucky 20% of owners will bills that exceeded £1500 per fault. 

Used Range Rover review

Reliability of luxury cars and SUVs aged up to five years old

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

Most reliable cars (2024)
Most reliable car brands (2024)
Most reliable small cars (2024)
Most reliable family cars (2024)
Most reliable executive cars (2024)
Most reliable small SUVs (2024)
Most reliable family SUVs (2024)
Most reliable large SUVs (2024)
Most reliable seven-seaters (2024)
Most reliable electric cars (2024)
Most reliable electric SUVs (2024)
Most reliable sports cars (2024)
Most reliable diesel cars (2023)
Most reliable petrol cars (2024)
Most reliable hybrid cars (2024)

How the research was carried out

The latest What Car? Reliability Survey gained 29,967 responses and that enabled us to report on 199 models (up to five years old) from 31 different brands. 

To compile the survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, we ask thousands of car owners to tell us how well their cars had behaved over the previous 24 months. 

For every car that has suffered a fault, we ask in what area the issue occurred, plus how much it cost to repair and how long it spent in the workshop. This information is used to create a reliability rating for each model and brand where we have a large enough response rate.

About the report author

Claire Evans has been a motoring journalist for more than 30 years with a focus on consumer issues for much of that time. She was the advice columnist for Carweek magazine in the 1990s, and also spent six years working on motoring content for Which?.

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.

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