Reliability survey 2011 - 21st-15th

28 July 2011

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BMW 21st out of 35
Last year’s position 23rd out of 32
Cars needing repair work 32%
Average repair cost £380
Best model 3 Series Convertible (’07-)
Worst model X5 (’00-’07)

BMW has recovered slightly from last year’s surprisingly poor result, but it’s still an odd position for a brand that was in the top 10 as recently as 2008. BMW’s newest model in the survey, the 3 Series Convertible (’07-), is also its most reliable. Its RI of 76 is good enough for seventh place in the open-top category. By contrast, the 3 Series (’05-) isn’t as durable, with an RI of 96. The X5 (’00-’07) has a high average repair bill of £477.

Volkswagen 20th out of 35
Last year’s position 19th out of 32
Cars needing repair work 31%
Average repair cost £321
Best model Polo (’05-’09)
Worst model Touareg (’03-’10)

For a brand with a reputation for build quality and durability, Volkswagen’s result is only average. Its best car, the Polo (’05-’09), just scrapes into the supermini top 10 with an RI of 32, while the Passat (’99-’05) repeats that feat in the family car class with an RI of 70. Meanwhile, the Touareg (’03-’10) is one of the worst SUVs to own, with an average repair cost of £534 and 41% of vehicles failing.

Click the image below for a larger view of the table

Peugeot 19th out of 35
Last year’s position 26th out of 32
Cars needing repair work 30%
Average repair cost £257
Best model 207 (’06-)
Worst model 807 (’03-’11)

After a big slide in reliability last year, Peugeot has regained some ground to finish roughly in the middle of the survey. The 207 (’06-) is one of the top five small family cars, with an RI of 30 and a failure rate of 9%, but the 106 (’96-’04) fails to make the 10 best superminis, despite an RI of just 33. The 406 (’96-’04) fares better, finishing fifth in the family car class, with an RI of 60.

Mini 18th out of 35
Last year’s position 10th out of 32
Cars needing repair work 29%
Average repair cost £348
Best model Cooper (’06-)
Worst model One (’04-’09)

Mini was as high as third in this list back in 2006, but it slumps further this year, falling from 10th in 2010 to 18th this time round. The newer Cooper (’06-) fares better than the older cars, with an RI of 70, but that is well behind the average rating for superminis, and key rivals such as the Volkswagen Polo (’05-’09).Mini’s average repair costs are also higher than those of most superminis.

Fiat 17th out of 35
Last year’s position 21st out of 32
Cars needing repair work 29%
Average repair cost £241
Best model Panda (’04-)
Worst model Stilo (’01-’07)

Once again the Panda (’04-) is Fiat’s most-dependable car, with an RI of 54 and a failure rate of 25%. The Multipla (’99-’04) also performs well, finishing eighth in the MPV category. That’s the end of the good news, though, as other models are unexceptional. Still, at least Fiat has the lowest average cost of repair this year, at a reasonable £242.

Click the image below for a larger view of the table

Porsche 16th out of 35
Last year’s position 15th out of 32
Cars needing repair work 28%
Average repair cost £690
Best model Boxster (’04-)
Worst model Boxster (’96-’04)

Last year Porsche climbed into the top half of our reliability league, but this year there’s little change in form. Ultimately, it’s not the number of breakdowns that causes the mid-table result; Porsche has both the highest average repair cost (an eye-watering £689) and the longest repair time of all.

Citroen 15th out of 35
Last year’s position 11th out of 32
Cars needing repair work 27%
Average repair cost £268
Best model Saxo (’96-’03)
Worst model C8 (’03-’10)

Citroen’s no-frills MPV, the Xsara Picasso (’00-’10), is proving reliable; with an RI of 48 and a breakdown rate of 22%, it’s the fourth-best people-carrier. There isn’t such good news for the newer C4 Picasso (’07-) MPV, which fails 34% of the time and costs owners an average of £325 in repairs. Own a C8 (’03-’10), meanwhile, and you’ve got a 50:50 chance that it’ll need fixing.

In focus...

Spare a thought for the BMW 7 Series ('01-'08) owner who was presented with this bill

Fact: car parts go wrong
Stuff happens. It’s a fact of life. No matter what make your car is, large components fail and cause big bills. If something like a timing belt or water pump breaks, a car’s engine could be written off.

Obviously, you’d expect that repairing a Peugeot would cost less than repairing a Porsche, but that’s not always the case. In this year’s survey, the least-reliable Peugeot, the 807 (’02-), produced a claim of £4975, compared with the largest claim for the Porsche Boxster (’96-’04) at £3310.

This year’s most-reliable car was the Kia Picanto, and it presented its owner with a maximum bill of less than £100. However, spare a thought for the BMW 7 Series (’01-’08) owner who was presented with a bill for £7239. That’s the highest claim in this year’s survey. Luckily, he had warranty cover.

The cost of new components is just part of the equation; the time taken to fit them can be just as expensive. Some garages now charge as much as £190 an hour to fix and repair cars, although the national average is closer to £75 an hour. Prestige brands usually have the highest labour rates and, as a rule, franchised dealers cost roughly 40% more per hour than an independent garage. Where you live in the country also makes a difference.