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

Executive cars are status symbols that tell the world you've reached a certain standard in your working life. They're usually medium or large saloons or estates with premium badges and lots of electrical goodies. 

While they're good-looking and generally great to drive, they have a lot of kit that could go wrong, and being stuck at the roadside waiting for a breakdown truck isn't going to do your image any good – so you need to pick your executive express with care. 

Data from our Reliability Survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, shows that some executive cars fall well short of the standard you might expect. Although the average score for the class has risen from 89.4% to 91.3% this year, it sits in seventh place out of our 11 car classes, behind family hatchbacks and SUVs and luxury cars.

Electrical issues, including problems with the air-con and infotainment systems, were the most common complaints of executive car owners, and diesel-engined models often had more faults than their petrol counterparts.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is the shining star of the executive class, and the Mercedes C-Class, in saloon and estate form, is the most problematic. The car reliability data reported on here covers cars aged up to five years old. 

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Most reliable executive cars

1. Alfa Romeo Giulia (2016-present)

Reliability rating 98.2%

• Most common faults: Bodywork 2%, brakes 2%, interior trim 2%, non-engine electrics 2%

• Average repair cost: £0

• Typical time off road: 50% one day to a week

A terrific performance from the Giulia has helped to take Alfa Romeo from second-last place in 2024 to midway up the manufacturer rankings this year. Only 9% of the Giulias that owners told us about suffered any glitches, and all those that did were put right for free.

Problem areas included the bodywork, brakes, interior trim and non-engine electrics, but three-quarters of the affected cars could still be driven. Overall, 25% of faulty Giulias were put right in a day or less, 50% took up to a week and the rest spent more than a week in the workshop.

Owner’s view: “My car feels well made and it’s been reliable so far. It’s the best Alfa Romeo I’ve ever bought.”

Alfa Romeo Giulia review

=2. BMW 3 Series petrol (2019-present)

Reliability rating 98.0%

• Most common faults: 12-volt battery 1%, engine 1%, engine electrics 1%, interior trim 1%. non-engine electrics 1%, suspension 1%

• Average repair cost: £0

• Typical time off road: 56% one day to a week, 43% more than a week

If you’re after a reliable 3 Series, we’d recommend sticking with a petrol model because they’re the least likely to go wrong. Only 6% of petrol cars had issues, compared with 26% of plug-in hybrid (PHEVs) and 27% of diesels.

All conventional petrol 3 Series models were also fixed for free, while the car maker covered the costs for only 75% of 330e PHEVs and 80% of diesel models. Only the speed of repairs was worse for petrol models; while 30% of diesels and 31% of 330es were back on the road in a day or less, only 14% of petrol cars were fixed this quickly.

BMW 3 Series review

=2. Skoda Superb diesel (2015-2024)

Reliability rating 98.0%

• Most common faults: Exhaust 12%, 12-volt battery 6%

• Average repair cost: £0

• Typical time off road: 67% one day or less, 33% one day to a week

In contrast to the BMW 3 Series, it’s the diesel versions of the Superb that have fewer faults, plus they’re both quicker and cheaper to repair. Owners told us that 18% of diesel Superbs went wrong, compared with 40% of petrol models. The exhaust system and 12-volt battery were the main troublemakers, with 67% of affected cars in and out of the workshop in a day or less, beating the 40% figure for petrol-engined models. Skoda also footed the bills to repair all the issues with diesel models, whereas it wasn’t so generous with petrol cars.

Used Skoda Superb review

4. Mercedes E-Class (2016-2024)

Reliability rating 97.3%

• Most common faults: non-engine electrics 8%, brakes 4%

• Average repair cost: £0

• Typical time off road: 25% one day or less, 50% one day to a week, 25% more than a week

The previous generation of the E-Class was available as an executive saloon and an estate, and both bodystyles are ageing well. Overall, only 16% of the cars reported on went wrong, and all those affected could still be driven. 

Mercedes did a good job of looking after customers by picking up the tab for all repair bills, and the only negative is that getting things sorted out could be a slow process. Only a quarter of cars with problems were remedied in 24 hours or less, most took up to a week, and a further quarter were off the road for more than seven days. 

Used Mercedes E-Class review

5. BMW 5 Series petrol (2017-2023)

Reliability rating 96.4%

• Most common faults: Suspension 7%, non-engine electrics 3%, sat-nav/infotainment system 3%, steering 3%

• Average repair cost: 67% £0, 33% £201-£300

• Typical time off road: 80% one day to a week, 20% more than a week

The petrol 5 Series is looking a lot more robust than its diesel siblings. Only 14% of petrol 5s had any issues, compared with 33% of diesels. While many of the problem areas were the same between both fuel types, diesel cars also had troubles with engine electrics and their exhaust systems. 

Petrol car problems were sorted out swiftly - four out of five cars were put right in a day or less. It's a shame that BMW only covered the cost of two thirds of bills, though.  

Used BMW 5 Series review

6. Hyundai Ioniq 6 (2022-present)

Reliability rating 95.9%

• Most common faults:  Bodywork 6%, sat-nav/infotainment system 5%

• Average repair cost: £0

• Typical time off road: 50% one day to a week, 50% more than a week

The Ioniq 6 is a sleek-looking four-door saloon with electric power. It has a hushed ride and the ability to be charged at up to 220kW. It's also proving reliable so far, too. 

Only 11% of the car we were told about had any glitches and none of them rendered any cars undriveable. Although repair work wasn't done quickly — half of the cars with problems were in the garage for more than a week — Hyundai paid for all necessary work.

Hyundai Ioniq 6 review

7. Jaguar XE (2015-2024)

Reliability rating 95.7%

• Most common faults: Brakes 6%, engine 6%, fuel system 6%, gearbox 6%

• Average repair cost: £0

• Typical time off road: 50% one day to a week, 50% more than a week

The XE may be the smallest model in the Jaguar line-up, but it is also the brand's highest scorer in this year's survey, making it an appealing used buy. Although 22% of the examples we were told about went wrong, most problems were minor and all the affected cars could still be driven. 

No cars were fixed within a day, though, and half were out action for more than a week. At least the car maker picked up the tab for all the work. 

Used Jaguar XE review

8. Jaguar XF (2015-2024)

Reliability rating 95.4%

• Most common faults: Engine 5%, interior trim 5%, non-engine electrics 5%, sat-nav/infotainment system 5%

• Average repair cost: 67% £0, 33% £301-£500

• Typical time off road: 50% one day to a week, 25% one day or less, 25% more than a week

The XF is the second best car in the Jaguar range for reliability, and only ranks below the XE because the car company didn't cover the cost of all fixes. Only 14% of the cars in our survey had any issues, and all remained driveable. Problem areas ranged from the engine to the infotainment system.

Half of the issues were put right in a day or less, and only a quarter of cars were stuck in the workshop for more than a week. It's a shame that Jaguar only paid for two-thirds of remedial work, though, leaving the other car owners with bills of up to £500 per fault. 

Used Jaguar XF review

9. Volkswagen Passat (2015-2022)

Reliability rating 94.3%

• Most common faults: Sat-nav/infotainment system 13%, engine 7%, gearbox 7% 

• Average repair cost: £0

• Typical time off road: 40% one day or less, 20% one day to a week, 40% more than a week

The Passat is a classy car that's quiet on the move and has plenty of room for five adults to travel in comfort. However, it has suffered a high proportion of problems - 33% of owners told us their Passat had gone wrong, the majority of them complaining about issues with the infotainment system. 

Speed of fixes is patchy: 40% of cars with problems were put right in a day or less, but 40% took more than seven days to fix. The good news is that all faulty cars could still be driven, and Volkswagen paid for all the work that was needed. 

Used Volkswagen Passat review

10. BMW 3 Series diesel (2019-2024)

Reliability rating 94.0%

• Most common faults: Engine 12%, exhaust 8%, non-engine electrics 8%, interior trim 4%, suspension 4%

• Average repair cost: 80% £0, 20% £1-£50

• Typical time off road: 40% one day to a week, 30% more than a week

Diesel examples of the 3 Series are far more likely to go wrong than their petrol counterparts. In fact, 27% of the diesel 3 Series models reported on in our survey had an issue, compared with only 6% of petrols. Worryingly 12% of all faults were with the engine 

Although BMW didn't cover the cost of all repair work, the one in five drivers who did have to pay only needed to find £50 or less. Getting things put right wasn't fast, though, with no cars fixed in a day or less and a third of cars in the workshop for more than a week. 

BMW 3 Series review

Least reliable executive cars

1. Mercedes C-Class (2021-present)

Reliability rating 76.3%

Most common faults: Engine 14%, air-con 10%, fuel system 10%, gearbox 10%, non-engine electrics 10%

• Average repair cost: £0

• Typical time off road: 43% more than a week, 38% one day to a week

The latest C-Class isn’t looking as sturdy as the previous model; 43% of cars built from 2021 onwards had a glitch, compared with 23% for the 2014-2021 generation. Failures occurred across a range of areas, including the air-con, engine, fuel system, gearbox and non-engine electrics.

Thirty-nine percent of faults were serious enough to stop cars from being used. Only 19% of cars were put right in a day or less, and 38% were in the workshop for more than a week. At least owners were spared the expense of unexpected bills; all repairs were performed for free.

Owner's view: "My C-Class has had too many faults. Some are still not fixed, because the dealer doesn’t know what’s causing them."

Mercedes C-Class review

2. Volvo S90 (2016-2023) and V90 (2016-present)

Reliability rating 76.7%

• Most common faults: sat-nav/infotainment 24%, non-engine electrics 18%, 12-volt battery 12%, engine 12%, 

• Average repair cost: 94% £0, 6% £1-£50

• Typical time off road: 45% more than a week, 18% one day to a week

The electrical systems appear to be the biggest weakness on the S90/V90. Overall, 47% of cars went wrong, with infotainment defects accounting for 24% of reported faults, unspecified non-engine electrics making up another 18% and 12-volt batteries responsible for 12% of the model’s failures.

Problems put 44% of cars out of action for more than a week and prevented 28% of them from being driven. It’s reassuring, though, that Volvo covered the remedial work in 94% of cases, leaving other owners with bills of less than £50 per fault.

Used Volvo S90 review

Volvo V90 review

3. Skoda Superb petrol (2015-2024)

Reliability rating 81.4%

• Most common faults: Sat-nav/infotainment 20%, non-engine electrics 11%, bodywork 6%, interior trim 6%

• Average repair cost: 65% £0, 15% more than £1500

• Typical time off road: 55% more than a week, 40% a day or less

Owners told us that 40% of their petrol-engined Superbs had at least one fault, most commonly related to the electrics. The infotainment system was responsible for 20% of faults, with non-engine electrics causing a further 11%.

Further bad news is that Skoda fully covered the cost of only 65% of bills, leaving 15% of petrol Superb owners facing bills of up to £200 and the remaining 20% having to find £501 or more, and upwards of £1500 in some cases. Although 40% of cars were fixed in a day or less, 55% were out of action for more than a week.

Used Skoda Superb review

Reliability of executive cars aged up to five years old

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

Most and least reliable cars overall (2025)
Most reliable car brands (2025)
Most reliable small cars (2025)
Most reliable family cars (2024)
Most reliable luxury cars (2024)
Most reliable small SUVs (2024)
Most reliable family SUVs (2025)
Most reliable large SUVs (2024)
Most reliable seven-seaters (2025)
Most reliable electric cars (2024)
Most reliable electric SUVs (2024)
Most reliable sports cars (2024)
Most reliable diesel cars (2024)
Most reliable petrol cars (2024)
Most reliable hybrid cars (2024)

How the research was carried out

The latest survey, compiled in association with MotorEasy, contains data from 29,967 car owners, and reveals the reliability ratings for 199 models from 31 different brands. Each rating is based on two crucial factors relating to every car that suffered a fault: how much each fault cost the car owner in repair bills, and how long the car was stuck in the workshop getting fixed.

To add extra depth to our ratings, we also asked car owners to tell us which component on their vehicle went wrong, asking them to choose from 14 different areas: air-con, battery, bodywork, brakes, engine or motor, engine or motor electrics, exhaust, fuel system, gearbox/clutch, interior trim, non-engine or motor electrics, sat-nav/infotainment, steering, suspension systems. This year we also added two specific categories for electric cars: charging and drive battery issues, to help us to build a better picture of EV ownership.

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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