Are Honda cars reliable? Most and least reliable models revealed

Not every Honda is thrilling to drive, but they are cars you can rely on to soldier on for many years without suffering many faults. Evidence of this comes from the fact that Honda is always in the top half of the annual What Car? league table of the most reliable car brands, and it's been in the top 10 for the past two years. 

It's not only the latest Honda models that gain high scores for reliability, either. The 2018-2023 Honda CR-V and 2015-2022 Honda Jazz are both up there with newer models in the 0-5-year-old chart, and the 2012-2018 CR-V and 2012-2017 Civic are among the top models in the What Car? older car reliability chart for cars aged from six to 20 years old.

In the latest survey, Honda has an overall rating of 96.6% and sits in fourth place. This is a slight improvement on the previous year, when it was sixth with a score of 95.9%. 

The brand has a low fault rate of 15% and the two main areas of concern for owners were the 12-volt battery and non-engine electrics. The car maker covered the cost of repairs in 85% of instances, and 60% of cars were back on the road in a day or less. 

Here we're looking at reliability data for Honda models aged up to five years old. Where models are available in more than one body style, such as hatchback and estate, our data covers all versions.   

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Most reliable Honda models

=1. Honda Civic (2022-present)

Reliability rating 97.6%

• Most common faults: Steering 8%
   
• Average repair cost: 100% £0
   
• Typical time off road: 36% less than a day, 40% more than a week

The Honda Civic is now in its 11th generation, having been on sale in the UK since 1972. Although the latest version is only offered with one engine and one hatchback body style, it's a great option for buyers. The 2.0-litre petrol engine has mild hybrid technology to improve economy and performance, and there's plenty of room for a family of four and all their luggage. 

It's also a highly dependable choice. Only 8% of the cars we were told about went wrong, and all issues were resolved for free by Honda and its dealers. The only disappointment for some owners is that a large proportion of their cars were stuck in the workshop for more than a week. 

Honda Civic review

=1. Honda Jazz (2020-present)

Reliability rating 97.6%

• Most common faults: Bodywork 5%, 12-volt battery 4%, non-engine electrics 2%, sat-nav/infotainment system 2%
   
• Average repair cost: 100% £00
   
• Typical time off road: 55% one day or less, 23% more than a week
   

The Honda Jazz isn't just a frugal, well-built small hatchback, it's also as good at swallowing luggage at least as well as much larger cars. That's because it has 'magic' rear seats, which tilt and fold up next to the back of the front seats, creating a huge load area. 

With a fault rate of just 12%, it's also a great bet if you want problem-free motoring. Owners told us the two most common areas of concern were the bodywork and 12-volt battery, and all faults were corrected for free by Honda. Just over half (55%) of issues were sorted out in a day or less, but nearly a quarter of cars took more than seven days to put right.  

Honda Jazz review

3. Honda CR-V (2018-2023)

Reliability rating 97.2%

• Most common faults: Non-engine electrics 6%, 12-volt battery 2%
   
• Average repair cost: 90% £0, 10% more than £1500
   
• Typical time off road: 40% one day or less, 20% more than a week
   

The previous-generation Honda CR-V isn't as refined or spacious inside as the latest version, but it's still a hugely practical and well-equipped large SUV. Engine options comprise a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine with 171bhp or 190bhp if paired with a CVT automatic gearbox, and a hybrid system combining a 2.0-litre petrol engine and an electric motor for a total power output of 181bhp. Extensive use of hybrid technology makes all of these economical considering their size. 

Only 11% of the  CR-Vs reported on had any problems, and these were restricted to the electrics and 12-volt battery. While most were put right for free, some owners had to pay out more than £1500 to get their cars fixed. Repairs weren't always swift, either, one in five cars took more than a week to put right.   

Used Honda CR-V review

4. Honda HR-V (2015-2022)

Reliability rating 97.1%

• Most common faults: Air-con 6%, 12-volt battery 3%, exhaust 3%
   
• Average repair cost: 50% £0, 25% £51-£100, 25% £301-£500
   
• Typical time off road: 100% one day or less

Versatile seating and a smart interior make the Honda HR-V an appealing secondhand buy, but it's noisy and pricer to buy than many alternatives. Engine options are limited to one turbocharged 1.6-litre diesel unit and a naturally aspirated 1.5 petrol in either 128bhp or 180bhp form. Both engines are noisy and the HR-V's ride is fairly hard.  

At least it is a dependable option though: only 12% of the HR-Vs in our survey had any issues at all, and most were minor niggles with the air-con, battery or exhaust. Although all problems were dealt with swiftly, some owners were left with bills of up to £500.  

Used Honda HR-V review

5. Honda HR-V (2021-present)

Reliability rating 95.9%

• Most common faults: 12-volt battery 8%, sat-nav/infotainment system 6%, interior trim 3%, non-engine electrics 3%
   
• Average repair cost: 100% £0
   
• Typical time off road: 50% one day or less, 25% more than a week
   

The third-generation HR-V is a sleek, hybrid-only small SUV that's frugal, well equipped and has clever folding seats. However, in this highly competitive class, there are plenty of rivals that are better to drive, more practical and have similar price tags.

The latest HR-V sits behind its predecessor in our reliability chart because its faults took longer to fix, and a quarter of them rendered the affected cars undriveable. The good news is that Honda covered the cost of repairs, and the overall fault rate if 18% means most cars didn't go wrong.     

Honda HR-V review

6. Honda Jazz (2015-2020)

Reliability rating 93.7%

• Most common faults: Bodywork 29%, air-con 7%
   
• Average repair cost: 20% £0, 80% £1-£50
   
• Typical time off road: 100% one day or less

The third-generation Jazz follows on the tradition of both of its earlier versions by successfully bridging the gap between the small hatchback class and the family car class. This means it’s shorter than a Ford Fiesta, but its boot and interior space are better than those of a Ford Focus. Inside, it’s incredibly spacious in both the front and back, and it’s more practical than those rivals, too.

Although it has a fault rate of 38%, most of the issues were small ones with various parts of the bodywork. All problems were resolved in a day or less, and most of them were sorted at no cost to owners. 

Used Honda Jazz review

Least reliable Honda model 

1. Honda Civic (2017-2022)

Reliability rating 91.6%

• Most common faults Air-con 16%, non-engine electrics 12%, 12-volt battery 5%, engine 2%, engine electrics 2%, fuel system 2% 
   
• Average repair cost: 75% £0, 19% £301-£500
   
• Typical time off road: 69% less than a day, 13% more than a week
   

With a score of more than 90%, the previous-generation Honda Civic isn't an unreliable model. It's just at the bottom of this list because it's not as hewn-from-granite as its siblings. This version of the Civic is longer, lower and wider than the ninth-generation car, with more room between the front and rear wheels for passengers, as well as a range of new engines and a more sophisticated rear suspension. However, it's cramped in the back seats, noisy on the motorway and hampered by a fiddly infotainment system. 

Its fault rate of 27% is fairly high, and many of the cars that went wrong suffered with electrical issues. Although Honda covered the cost of three-quarters of repairs, some owners had to find up to £500 to get their cars fixed. At least most were back on the road in a day or less.      

Used Honda Civic review 

Reliability of Honda models aged up to five years old

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

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

How the research was carried out

To compile the What Car? Reliability Survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, we asked thousands of car owners to give us the lowdown on how reliable their car had been over the previous 24 months.

First we asked them to tell us if the car had suffered a fault, and, if so, how much each problem had cost to put right and how long it had kept the car off the road. The responses for these two factors were weighted and added up for each make and model, enabling us to create a unique reliability rating for each. 

The latest What Car? Reliability Survey contains responses from 29,967 people, giving us enough data to report on 199 models aged up to five years old from 31 different car brands.

About the report author

Claire Evans has been a motoring journalist for more than 30 years, working on consumer issues for a great deal of that time. After a stint as the advice columnist for Carweek magazine in the 1990s, she also spent six years working on motoring content for Which?. It is here she oversaw the running of the charity's annual used car reliability survey.

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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