20 most reliable used SUVs

SUVs have taken over from hatchbacks and MPVs as the most popular choice for families, and that means there are plenty to choose from on the used car market. However, buying a secondhand SUV can be a bit of a lottery, so you need to choose carefully.

That's where the What Car? Reliability Survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, can help. We asked nearly 24,000 owners to tell us how reliable their cars had been over the previous 24 months and have used the data to compile reliability charts for all types of cars from small SUVs to luxury models.

Each model is given a unique reliability rating that shows just how dependable - or not - it's likely to be. Here we reveal the 20 best performing used SUVs. The list covers small SUVs, family SUVs, large SUVs and luxury SUVs.

Read the full results of the What Car? Reliability Survey for cars aged six to 20 years old >>

Reliability rating 87.3%

Mini has a strong reputation for building dependable cars, and the previous-generation Countryman bolsters its standing with a good score for an older model. Only 20% of the Countrymans in our survey went wrong, and the engine was the area of most concern, followed by the bodywork, engine, electrics and suspension.

Only 14% of faulty cars were fixed for free, but around half of repair bills were less than £200. An unlucky 14% paid out between £750 and £1000. More than half of faulty cars were repaired in a day or less, though, and most were back on the road in less than a week.

Read our review of the latest Mini Countryman

Reliability rating 87.4%

Owners told us that 29% of their older Sportages had a glitch, but most issues were with the bodywork and were fixed quickly and cheaply. There were also some reports of problems with the engine, gearbox/clutch and suspension.

The good news is that 58% of cars were fixed for free and no bills exceeded £300. A third of issues were put right in a day or less and most of the rest took less than a week to rectify.

Read our review of the latest Kia Sportage

Reliability rating 88.1%

Petrol Q3s went wrong more often than diesels: 28% had a problem, compared with 20% of diesels. The main bugbears for owners were the engine and the interior trim.

Although no cars were fixed for free, most were sorted out for less than £300, and only 17% cost between £751 and £1000 to put right. All cars could still be driven and two-thirds of remedial work took less than a day; all work was done in less than a week.

Read our review of the latest Audi Q3

Reliability rating 88.3%

Renault's small SUV is proving pretty durable. Only 13% of the cars reported on in our survey went wrong, and the only areas of concern were the brakes, gearbox/clutch, steering and suspension.

Although faults rendered 75% of cars undriveable, all were fixed in less than a week. Repair bills were mostly minimal, ranging from £51 to £200, although 25% of owners had to find between £751 and £1000 to get their cars put right.

Read our review of the latest Renault Captur

Reliability rating 88.5%

Diesel Q3s are slightly more robust than petrols, but they too had more problems with their engines than any other component. Owners told us that 14% of their diesel Q3 repairs were paid for by Audi, and most people didn't have to find more than £500. However, 14% paid out between £1001 and £1500. Virtually all cars could still be driven, though, and all repairs were carried out in less than a week.

Read our review of the latest Audi Q3

Reliability rating 88.6%

The battery was the main gripe of the 21% of Forester owners who told us their car had gone wrong. There were also some reports of problems with the air-con and exhaust. A quarter of repair work was covered by Subaru, and those who did pay had to find up to £750. All cars could still be driven, though, and half of the necessary remedial work was completed in a day or less.

Read our review of the latest Subaru Forester

Reliability rating 88.9%

The previous-generation Kuga looks like a sound secondhand buy because it's big and practical and pretty dependable. Owners told us 21% of their Kugas went wrong with the battery and exhaust the most common causes of complaint. Two-thirds of cars were fixed in less than a week, but the rest took longer than that. Repair bills were reasonable: 25% of cars were put right for free and those who paid had to find between £101 and £500 per fault.

Read our review of the latest Ford Kuga

Reliability rating 89.1%

Electrical faults were the biggest headache for the 23% of iX35 owners who told us their car had suffered any problems. There were also some reports of issues with the air-con, engine and gearbox/clutch.

Although all cars could still be driven, 43% of faults took more than a week to put right. Hyundai covered the cost of 29% of remedial work and most bills were small, although 14% of owners had to find between £751 and £1000.

Read our review of the 2009-2015 Hyundai iX35

Reliability rating 89.3%

Issues with various electrical systems were the main problem for the 21% of Touareg drivers who reported a fault with their car. They told us that most cars could still be driven, and around half were back on the road in a day or less. Volkswagen covered the cost of repairs in 36% of instances, and most bills totalled less than £300, but an unlucky 18% had to pay more than £1500 to get their cars put right.

Read our review of the latest Volkswagen Touareg

Reliability rating 90.1%

Twenty-three percent of the cars in our survey went wrong, and the engine and its electrical systems gave SX4 S-Cross owners most cause for concern, followed by their cars' gearboxes/clutches and suspension. However, three-quarters of cars could still be driven and half were out of the workshop in a day or less. Even better, Suzuki covered the cost of 50% of repairs and only 25% of owners had to fund bills ranging from £751 to £1000.

Read our review of the latest Suzuki SX4 S-Cross

Reliability rating 92.3%

When things went wrong with ASXs they were generally fixed fast and at a small cost to owners. Nineteen percent of cars went wrong, with suspension the main bugbear, followed by the bodywork and brakes. All cars could still be driven and all were fixed in less than seven days. Mitsubishi paid for 25% of remedial work and those who had to pay were asked for between £101 and £750 per fault.

Read our review of the 2010-2021 Mitsubishi ASX

Reliability rating 92.8%

If you're after a reliable older CR-V go for a petrol model because this fuel type went wrong far less than its diesel siblings; 18% of petrol cars went wrong, compared with 34% of diesels. Electrical issues were the most common headache, followed by problems with the bodywork and gearbox/clutch. A third of cars were fixed for free, and no repair bills cost more than £200. Most cars remained driveable and half were out of the garage in a day or less.

Read our review of the latest Honda CR-V

Reliability rating 94.1%

The GLA is ageing gracefully with a fault rate of only 18%. Issues were split evenly between the brakes, engine and interior trim. Two-thirds of cars were fixed in less than a week and the same percentage were fixed for free by Mercedes. The remaining owners only had to find between £301 and £500 to put their cars back on the road.

Read our review of the latest Mercedes GLA

Reliability rating 94.1%

The RAV4 is one reason why Toyota has a such a great reputation for reliability. Only 17% of these older SUVs went wrong, with the battery, brakes and electrics cited by owners as problematic. Eighty percent of faulty cars were fixed in a day and the rest were put right in less than a week. Even better, Toyota covered the cost of 30% of repairs and no bills topped £200.

Read our review of the latest Toyota RAV4

Reliability rating 94.7%

Only 21% of the X1 diesels we were told about had any issues, and the main problem areas were the bodywork, exhaust, electrics and gearbox/clutch. All faulty cars could still be driven and three-quarters of them were fixed in less than a week. BMW covered the cost of 75% of remedial work and those who had to pay weren't asked to find more than £300 per fault.

Read our review of the latest BMW X1

Reliability rating 94.7%

In spite of its advancing years, the CR-V remains a highly dependable family SUV. Only 10% of the cars reported on had any issues, and the only areas to give any grief were the air-con, gearbox/clutch and infotainment/sat-nav.

Most faulty cars could still be driven and two-thirds were back on the road in less than a week. Although no remedial work was carried out gratis, most bills were less than £300. Only a small percentage of owners paid out between £1001 and £1500.

Read our review of the latest Honda CR-V

Reliability rating 97.2%

The fuel system was the only area to upset Tivoli owners, with just 6% of cars suffering a fault. All cars remained driveable and their glitches were resolved in a day or less. Although no cars were fixed for free, no bills topped £500.

Read our review of the latest Ssangyong Tivoli

Reliability rating 98.1%

The most common headache for Sportage owners were minor issues with their cars' bodywork. Overall, 13% of the cars in our survey had a problem and the only other area to give cause for concern was the suspension.

All affected cars could be driven, and their problems were put right within a day in 75% of instances. Even better, Kia covered the cost of all repair work.

Read our review of the latest Kia Sportage

Reliability rating 99.3%

The sat-nav/infotainment system was the only area to upset Vitara owners over the previous 24 months, with just 6% of owners reporting a fault with their car. All issues were dealt with swiftly and efficiently by Suzuki, which fixed all affected cars in a day or less and covered the cost of all remedial work.

Read our review of the latest Suzuki Vitara

Reliability rating 100%

The Soul may be a rather left-field choice for secondhand SUV buyers, but it's a great option if dependability is your priority. Not one of the Souls we were told about had suffered any faults in the previous two years, meaning owners hadn't had to worry about any unexpected time off the road or repair bills.

Read our review of the latest Kia Soul

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