Used McLaren MP4-12C 2011-2014 reliability

When viewing a used car, always follow our used car buying checklist.

It might be a supercar, with many being pampered by their owners, but it’s always important to check the bodywork for any damage, as well as the alloy wheels for scuffs or scrapes. Make sure there are no squeaks or rattles from the interior, along with no knocks or bangs from the suspension when doing a test drive. Make sure the gearbox is changing gears quickly and smoothly, too.

There are quite a few electrical areas to check, including the touch-sensitive door releases on early cars, which are known to be faulty. Make sure the infotainment system is working as it should be.

At the time of writing, the McLaren MP4-12C has just one recall listed. To check whether a car has been affected, you can contact your nearest McLaren dealer. You will not need to pay for anything involving the recall.

Reason for recall

It is possible the anti-trap feature on both the passenger and driver's door windows will not function as designed. This could result in injury in the event of normal window operation and the door closing.

How the manufacturer will repair: Re-work the electrical wire harness and switch the connectors from the left door sensor to the right door sensor and right door sensor to the left door sensor.

Number of affected vehicles: 4

Date of recall: 17/12/2012

The MP4-12C is too niche to feature in the What Car? Reliability Survey. However, there have been reports of issues on early cars, mostly relating to the gearbox and touch-sensitive door releases. These should have been ironed out, though, and on the whole, owners on forums have reported mostly good experiences with the MP4-12C from a reliability perspective. If you are concerned about dependability, later cars will be a safer option.

If you would like to see the full reliability list, head to the What Car? Reliability Survey pages for more information.