20 most unreliable older SUVs

SUVs are hugely popular, which means there are plenty to choose from on the secondhand market. However, buying used can leave you with someone else's problem child, so you need to pick carefully.

That's where the What Car? Reliability Survey – conducted in association with MotorEasy – comes in. To help buyers select the best used examples aged from six to 20 years old we asked nearly 24,000 owners to tell us how reliable their cars had been over the previous 24 months.

In each case, we asked if the car had suffered any faults, and if so, in which of 15 different areas. In addition, we asked owners to tell us how long their car was out of action for and how much the repairs cost.

We then used this information to give each model a unique reliability rating, and here we reveal the 20 worst 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 74.0%

Nissan doesn't have a strong reputation for building the most dependable cars, but diesel versions of the Qashqai perform better than some of its other models. The diesel Qashqai is a better bet than the petrol models because it has a fault rate of 30% compared with 43% for petrols. The main bugbears for owners were the air-con, battery and brakes.

Three quarters of faulty cars cost less than £500 to fix, but 9% of owners had to shell out between £1000 and £1500. Although 35% of issues were resolved in a day or less, 30% of cars were in the garage for more than a week.

Read our review of the new Nissan Qashqai

Reliability rating 73.0%

Costly and time-consuming repairs were the main complaints of the 39% of Tucson owners who told us their cars had gone wrong. Although all faulty cars remained driveable, 53% of them were out of action for more than a week, and 11% of owners had to pay £1500 or more to get them fixed. The good news is that 53% of remedial work was carried out for free by Hyundai.

Issues with engine and non-engine electrics were the main problems, accounting for 28% of faults, followed by issues with the bodywork and gearbox/clutch.

Read our review of the new Hyundai Tucson

Reliability rating 72.5%

Thirty-three percent of the F-Pace owners who responded to our survey told us their car had suffered at least one fault, with problem areas including the air-con, bodywork, electrics, engine and exhaust.

Although 10% of repair work was carried out gratis by Jaguar, 30% of bills were more than £500 and 10% topped £1500. At least 60% of cars were fixed in less than a week. The rest took more than a week.

Read our full Jaguar F-Pace review

Reliability rating 72.4%

The X-Trail isn't as rugged as its looks would lead you to believe. According to our survey, 38% of cars had some sort or glitch, with areas including the brakes, battery, engine, fuel system and gearbox or clutch.

While three-quarters of bills were less than £500, the remaining owners had to find between £1000 and £1500. It's a similar story of two sides when it comes to time off the road too: 38% of cars were fixed in a day or less and 25% sat in workshops for more than a week.

Read our review of the new Nissan X-Trail

Reliability rating 72.4%

You're likely to need deep pockets if you run an older X5 because 39% of the X5 owners in our survey reported that they had paid out more than £1500 in repair bills. Their cars had languished in BMW workshops for longer than others too: 44% were off the road for more than a week.

Overall, 31% of cars had a problem, and the main trouble spot was suspension, affecting 13% of faulty vehicles. Other areas of concern included the brakes, battery, exhaust and gearbox/clutch.

Read our review of the new BMW X5

Reliability rating 71.7%

The battery and exhaust were the most frequent issues cited by Tiguan owners, who told us 34% of their cars had gone wrong in the previous 24 months.

Although two-thirds of remedial work cost less than £500, 20% of owners paid out up to £1500 and 13% had to find more than that. Half of cars were put right within a day, but 30% were off the road for more than a week.

Read our review of the new Volkswagen Tiguan

Reliability rating 71.2%

It's unusual to find a Kia in a round-up of the least reliable models, but the Sorento is included here because it can be costly and slow to fix. Owners told us that 57% of cars were in the garage for more than a week, and 43% cost more than £1500 to put right.

Overall, 25% of the Sorentos in our survey suffered at least one fault, and the brakes were the most common complaint, followed by issues with the air-con, bodywork, electrics, gearbox/clutch and suspension.

Read our review of the new Kia Sorento

Reliability rating 70.8%

Land Rover has a poor reputation for reliability, but the Range Rover is more robust than some of its other models. Owners told us that 32% of their cars had suffered a fault, with the engine causing the most headaches, followed by the battery, brakes, exhaust and suspension.

The good news is that Land Rover covered the cost of 58% of remedial work, but that left 11% of owners with bills ranging from £751 to £1500. And, while many cars were fixed in a day or less, 55% were out of action for more than a week.

Read our review of the new Range Rover

Reliability rating 68.7%

The Santa Fe isn't ageing well. According to our survey, 35% of cars went wrong, with gearbox/clutch issues the most common complaint, followed by problems with the brakes, exhaust and electrics.

While nearly half of faulty cars were back on the road in a day or less, 21% were in the workshop for more than a week. The worst news is that 23% of them cost up to £1500 to put right and 15% cost even more than that. Hyundai did cover the cost of 15% of repairs, though.

Read our review of the new Hyundai Santa Fe

Reliability rating 68.6%

Suspension issues were the biggest headache for the 29% of X1 owners who said their car had gone wrong. They also told us about issues with the engine, exhaust, fuel system and gearbox/clutch.

Repairs weren't the most eye-watering: three quarters of bills were less than £300 and all were below £500. However, 36% of cars were out of action for more than a week.

Read our review of the new BMW X1

Reliability rating 68.3%

If you want an older Qashqai, a petrol model is a better bet than a diesel because the petrols gained a far higher score of 80.8% in our survey. They also had a much lower fault rate: 28% of petrol Qashqais went wrong, compared with 50% of diesel models. Diesel bugbears included the brakes, engine, fuel system and suspension.

Repairs were generally reasonable, though, with 70% of cars fixed for less than £300. However, 23% of owners had to find up to £1000 to get their cars back on the road. Thirty-nine percent of cars were repaired in a day or less, and all were sorted in less than a week.

Read our review of the new Nissan Qashqai

Reliability rating 68.2%

Duster owners have more issues to worry about than many other small SUV owners – 45% of their cars suffered at least one fault. The bodywork, brakes, electrics and engine were the main causes of concern, followed by the battery, exhaust and suspension.

The cost of repairs was covered for 8% of cars, and 60% of bills were less than £300, but some owners had to find more than £1500 to get their cars put right. Although most cars could still be driven, only 23% were repaired in less than a day and 46% were in the workshop for more than a week.

Read our review of the new Dacia Duster

Reliability rating 67.6%

Suspension and brake issues were the biggest gripes of the Q7 owners who completed our survey, who told us 36% of their cars had suffered a glitch in the past 24 months. They also reported issues with the air-con, electrics, engine, exhaust and steering.

Although no cars were fixed for free, two-thirds of bills totalled £500 or less. However, that left an unlucky 25% to find between £751 and £1500. All cars could still be driven, but half were in the garage for more than seven days.

Read our review of the new Audi Q7

Reliability rating 64.4%

Petrol versions of the previous-generation Qashqai are the most problematic. Owners told us that 43% of their cars had gone wrong, with issues with the battery and engine electrics the most common complaints, followed by problems with the air-con and engine.

Although 29% of cars were fixed for free that left many owners with hefty bills. Twenty percent of repairs cost between £501 and £1500, and 11% cost more than £1500. The only good news is that 50% of cars were fixed in a day or less and only 22% spent more than a week out of action.

Read our review of the new Nissan Qashqai

Reliability rating 61.6%

The Kuga isn't particularly expensive to live with, but it could be out of action for a while if it goes wrong. Kuga owners told us that 34% of their cars were rendered undriveable by faults, and 45% spent more than a week getting fixed. Bills were below £300 for 65% of owners, and only 6% paid out between £1000 and £1500.

Overall, 35% of Kugas developed a fault, and the exhaust system was the most frequently cited problem area, followed by the battery, brakes, engine and suspension.

Read our review of the new Ford Kuga

Reliability rating 58.3%

The older X-Trail is a less appealing ownership prospect than the 2007-2014 model. Of the X-Trails reported on in our survey, 45% went wrong. The air-con was the biggest headache, followed by the battery, brakes, electrics, engine and gearbox/clutch.

The good news is that 30% of faulty cars were fixed for free by Nissan but that left 10% of owners will bills exceeding £1500. Half of cars were put right in a day or less, but 40% sat in workshops for more than a week.

Read our review of the new Nissan X-Trail

Reliability rating 56.2%

The Evoque is a great looking car that's enjoyable to drive, but that's only when it's not in the workshop being fixed – 44% of the cars in our survey spent more than a week in the garage having problems put right. On a positive note, Land Rover covered the cost of 34% of remedial work and most bills were less than £500 for those who had to pay. Only 8% of owners had to pay more than £1500.

Bodywork and electrical issues were the most common complaints, but there were also reports of problems with the air-con, battery, exhaust and gearbox/clutch.

Read our review of the new Range Rover Evoque

Reliability rating 55.4%

The Discovery Sport is even more prone to problems than the Evoque – 44% of the cars in our survey developed at least one fault over the previous 24 months. The exhaust and engine gave the most trouble, but there were also issues with the battery, bodywork, electrics and steering.

Land Rover covered the cost of 34% of repairs, but that left 20% of owners with bills ranging from £500 to £1500 and a further 21% having to find more than £1500. A third of cars were fixed in a day or less, but a quarter were stuck in the garage for more than seven days.

Read our full Land Rover Discovery Sport review

Reliability rating 50.6%

Owners of 2008s told us that 44% of their cars had suffered a glitch, with exhaust issues responsible for 28% of all faults and suspension issues to blame for 22%. They also cited the battery, electrics, engine and fuel system as areas of concern.

The cost of repairs was covered by Peugeot in 22% of instances and most of those who paid needed to find less than £750, but 6% of owners had to pay more than £1500. Although 28% of cars could still be driven and were fixed within a day, 33% were rendered undriveable by faults and languished in the garage for more than a week.

Read our review of the new Peugeot 2008

Reliability rating 47.8%

The Discovery is the most unreliable older SUV you can buy with a fault rate of 46%. The engine and suspension were the biggest bugbears, followed by the battery, brakes, electrics and fuel system.

The only good news is that 25% of cars were fixed within a day, and 50% were back on the road in less than a week. It's not such promising news when it comes to repair bills, though: 50% of owners paid up to £750, and another 24% paid more than £1500.

Read our review of the new Land Rover Discovery

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