In association with MotorEasy
What Car? Reliability Survey: Most and least reliable electric SUVs
In our annual Reliability Survey, we asked readers to rate the dependability of cars aged up to five years old. Here we list the most and least reliable electric SUVs in the UK...
Electric SUVs offer the best of both worlds: the affordability of pure electric motoring and the practicality of an SUV body style body style. Small wonder, then that the electric SUV class is one of the fastest growing sectors of the new car market.
While some electric SUVs performed exceptionally well in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, others suffered a high proportion of problems, bringing the average for the class down to 90.1% — the lowest of all 11 car classes in our survey, and more than five percentage points lower than the average for small hatchbacks.
It contains some of the highest-scoring models for reliability, including the Kia EV3, which was one of only four models to gain a full 100% reliability rating. However, it also contains one of the lowest-scoring models in the entire survey, the Volkswagen ID.4, which only mustered a score of 79.6%.
Here’s how electric SUVs performed according to our latest data. This article examines reliability data for small cars aged up to five years old. Reliability information for older models is in our most reliable used cars feature.
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Most reliable electric SUVs
1. Kia EV3 (2024-present)
Reliability rating 100%
Most common faults: None
Average repair cost: n/a
Typical time off road: n/a
The EV3 is Kia's first model to attain a perfect 100% reliability rating in our survey. It’s the brand’s most affordable pure electric car, yet it outperforms many larger, more expensive electric SUVs – including the £75,000 BMW iX – when it comes to durability and build quality.
With no participating owners reporting a single fault with their cars, the EV3 also outscores its direct rival, the Hyundai Kona Electric, whose 24% fault rate puts it in ninth place in this class.
Owner’s view: “The EV3 was just what I’ve been looking for in an electric car, and it’s been totally dependable so far.”
Kia EV3 review
2. Renault Scenic (2024-present)
Reliability rating 97.5%
Most common faults: Electric motor 5%, sat-nav/infotainment system 5%
Average repair cost: 100% £0
Typical time off road: 100% one day or less
When the Scenic last appeared in our survey back in 2023, it was a combustion-engined MPV. Since then, the Scenic has morphed into an SUV with electric power; a pretty reliable one, too, owners tell us.
Only 11% of our participating Scenic owners have been let down by their cars, and every issue related to the electric motor or infotainment system. All problems were put right in a day or less, and every necessary repair was paid for by Renault, as you’d expect of a car new enough for every example to still be under warranty.
Reliability rating 97.1%
Most common faults: battery pack 2%, brakes 2%, motor electrics 2%, interior trim 2%, suspension 2%
Average repair cost: £0
Typical time off road: 42% one day or less, 58% one day to a week
Last year’s top-rated electric SUV has dropped a couple of percentage points (2.1%, to be exact) this year, but it still retains its place in the top three. Twelve percent of owners said their cars went wrong, with defects affecting the EV battery pack, brakes, electric motor and interior trim.
Getting things put right was fairly swift, with 42% of cars back on the road in a day or less and the remaining 58% repaired in less than a week. It’s reassuring, too, to hear that all fixes were paid for by Tesla.
Tesla Model Y review
4. BMW iX3 (2021-2025)
Reliability rating 95.5%
Most common faults: air-con 6%, battery pack 4%, motor electrics 4%, non-motor electrics 4%
Average repair cost: 100% £0
Typical time off road: 83% one day to a week
Essentially, the iX3 is a pure electric version of BMW's X3 family SUV. That means it shares that model's practicality, classy interior and good handling. However, its official range of 292 miles is less than many rivals.
It is proving pretty reliable, though. Although 19% of the cars we were told about went wrong, 73% of them could still be driven and 83% were in and out of the garage within 24 hours. To ease the strain on owners further, BMW paid for all remedial work to be done.
Used BMW iX3 review
5. Vauxhall Combo Life Electric (2022-present)
Reliability rating 95.3%
Most common faults: 12-volt battery 7%, sat-nav/infotainment system 7%
Average repair cost: 100% cost £0
Typical time off road: 67% more than a week, 33% one day or less
The Combo Life Electric is an extremely roomy van-based MPV that is very similar to the Citroën e-Berlingo and Peugeot e-Rifter, both of which share the same underpinnings. However, it allows buyers to have the seven-seat option with the short-wheelbase 'M' bodystyle, while the other pair only offer this option on long-wheelbase versions.
The Combo Life is also a dependable choice. Only 13% of the examples reported on had any glitches, and those were only with the battery and infotainment system. Two-thirds of the affected cars could still be driven, and although remedial work was slow Vauxhall covered the all the associated costs.
Vauxhall Combo Life review
6. Volvo EC40 (2021-present)
Reliability rating 94.5%
Most common faults: Battery pack 10%, non-motor electrics 10%, bodywork 5%, charging system 5%
Average repair cost: 100% £0
Typical time off road: 33% one day or less, 33% one day to a week, 33% more than a week
The C40 Recharge, now known as the EC40, is a small electric coupe SUV from Volvo. It has a smaller boot and less rear headroom than the EX40 SUV, but that's mitigated by a longer range and rakish coupe looks.
Problems were pretty common, with 30% of owners telling us their car had suffered some sort of issue, and half of the cars that went wrong couldn't be driven. However, Volvo stumped up for all repair work and two-thirds of cars were back on the road in less than a week.
Volvo EC40 review
7. Kia Soul EV (2020-2025)
Reliability rating 94.2%
Most common faults: air-con 5%, 12-volt battery 5%, bodywork 5%, charging system 5%, non-motor electrics 5%
Average repair cost: 100% £0
Typical time off road: 43% one day to a week, 43% more than a week
The Soul comes with two battery options: 39kWh and 64kWh. The former will do around 171 miles between charges and the latter 280 miles, which is one of the longest ranges of any small SUV, aside from its sibling, the Kia e-Niro.
The fault rate, according to owners, is fairly high at 24%, but no cars were knocked out of action by their problems. Getting things put right was slow, with very few cars fixed in a day or less, and nearly half in the workshop for more than a week.
Used Kia Soul review
8. Mercedes EQA (2021-present)
Reliability rating 94.1%
Most common faults: air-con 7%, battery pack 7%, bodywork 3%, brakes 3%, electric motor 3%, sat-nav/infotainment 3%
Average repair cost: 100% £0
Typical time off road: 40% one day or less, 50% more than a week
The EQA is an electric SUV based on the Mercedes GLA, which is available in petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid forms. The front-wheel-drive 250+ EQA can travel up to 345 miles officially, which is a little further than the Genesis GV60, Kia EV6 and Volvo EX40.
Although 23% of the EQAs in our survey went wrong, only 10% of them were rendered undriveable by their faults. Mercedes' dealers were quick to fix issues in many instances - 40% of cars were back on the road in a day or less - and the car maker paid for all the required work.
Mercedes EQA review
9. Hyundai Kona Electric (2018-2023)
Reliability rating 92.8%
Most common faults: 12-volt battery 17%, non-motor electrics 5%
Average repair cost: 91% £0, 9% £51-£100
Typical time off road: 55% more than a week, 36% one day or less
The second-generation Hyundai Kona Electric is one of the few sub-£40k EVs to offer an official range of more than 300 miles. It's also a well-rounded electric SUV with plenty of space for passengers and their luggage and a user-friendly dash layout.
It's not as bulletproof as its petrol and hybrid siblings, though, with a fault rate of 24%, compared with 18% for petrol models and 8% for the hybrid. Most issues were with the 12-volt battery so it's no surprise that 44% of faulty cars couldn't be driven. It's a shame that more than half of the cars that went wrong took more than a week to put right.
Used Hyundai Kona Electric review
10. Kia E-Niro (2019-2022)
Reliability rating 92.3%
Most common faults: 12-volt battery 11%, non-motor electrics 6%, battery pack 5%
Average repair cost: 88% £0, 12% £51-£200
Typical time off road: 61% one day or less, 26% more than a week
Launched as part of the 2018-2022 Niro line-up, which comprised petrol electric and hybrid variants of the same model, the e-Niro is a spacious EV that's loaded with equipment and has an impressive range between charges.
Like the Kona, it suffered a high percentage of 12-volt battery issues that rendered 52% of the affected cars undriveable. Overall, 25% of the cars reported on went wrong, but nearly a third of issues were resolved in a day or less, and only just over a quarter of cars were out of action for more than a week.
Used Kia E-Niro Electric review
Least reliable electric SUVs
1. Volkswagen ID 4 (2021-present)
Reliability rating 79.6%
Most common faults: electric motor 18%, battery pack 11%, bodywork 7%, suspension 7%, 12-volt battery 4%, brakes 4%, motor electrics 4%, charging system 4%, non-motor electrics 4%, sat-nav/infotainment system 4%, steering 4%
Average repair cost: 100% £0
Typical time off road: 14% one day or less, 67% more than a week
The Volkswagen ID 4 is one of a set of triplets that also includes the Audi Q4 e-tron and Skoda Enyaq, but the VW trails its siblings by more than 10 percentage points. It not only suffers more faults but also takes longer to repair.
Thirty-six percent of ID 4 owners had gripes, compared with 30% of people with Enyaqs and 29% with Q4 e-trons. What’s more, 67% of faulty ID 4s were off the road for more than a week, while only 28% of Enyaqs (and 52% of Q4s) took that long. The EV battery and electric motor were the main issues for ID 4 owners, but VW did pay for all repairs.
Owner’s view: “My car has ground to a halt at crucial moments three times, each followed by at least a week in the garage.”
Volkswagen ID 4 review
2. Nissan Ariya (2022-present)
Reliability rating 80.9%
Most common faults: electric motor 17%, bodywork 11%, brakes 11%, non-motor electrics 11%, 12-volt battery 6%, battery pack 6%, motor electrics 6%, interior trim 6%, sat-nav/infotainment system 6%
Average repair cost: 100% £0
Typical time off road: 50% one day or less, 28% more than a week
The Ariya is only Nissan’s second pure electric model, arriving 10 years after the original Leaf. However, while the Leaf has always had strong reliability credentials, the Ariya isn’t starting off as well.
Owners told us that 39% of Ariyas went wrong, with 56% of those cars rendered undriveable. Things were put right quickly in most instances, though; half were back on the road in a day or less, and only 28% took more than a week to fix. The electric motor was at fault in 17% of case; bodywork, brake and electrical faults were also reported. Nissan paid for all remedial work.
Reliability rating 81.0%
Most common faults: battery pack 10%, electric motor 10%, sat-nav/infotainment system 10%, steering 10%, interior trim 7%, bodywork 3%, brakes 3%, motor electrics 3%, charging system 3%, non-motor electrics 3%, suspension 3%
Average repair cost: 100% £0
Typical time off road: 43% more than a week, 38% one day to a week
The high-tech iX differs from some of BMW’s smaller electric models in that it was designed from the ground up as a dedicated electric vehicle. This seems not to have helped it when it comes to reliability, though. Faults made 62% of the examples we were told about undriveable, and some owners report that BMW’s dealers have been slow to address problems.
Among owners of faulty iXs, 43% told us that their cars were out of action for more than a week, whereas only 19% said that the faults were put right in a day or less.
BMW iX review
Reliability of electric SUVs aged up to five years old
| Rank | Make and model | Score |
| 1 | Kia EV3 (2024-present) | 100.0% |
| 2 | Renault Scenic (2023-present) | 97.5% |
| 3 | Tesla Model Y (2021-present) | 97.1% |
| 4 | BMW iX3 (2021-2025) | 95.5% |
| 5 | Vauxhall Combo Life Electric (2022-present) | 95.3% |
| 6 | Volvo EC40 (2021-present) | 94.5% |
| 7 | Kia Soul (2020-2025) | 94.2% |
| 8 | Mercedes EQA (2021-present) | 94.1% |
| 9 | Hyundai Kona Electric (2018-2023) | 92.8% |
| 10 | Kia e-Niro (2019-2022) | 92.3% |
| 11 | Kia Niro EV (2022-present) | 92.2% |
| 12 | Peugeot e-2008 (2019-present) | 92.0% |
| 13 | Vauxhall Mokka Electric (2020-present) | 91.7% |
| 14 | Skoda Enyaq (2021-present) | 91.3% |
| 15 | Volvo EX30 (2023-present) | 90.6% |
| 16 | Audi Q4 e-tron (2021-present) | 90.4% |
| 17 | Kia EV6 (2021-present) | 89.5% |
| 18 | Genesis GV60 (2022-present) | 87.3% |
| 19 | BMW iX1 (2022-present) | 86.8% |
| 20 | Mercedes EQC (2019-present) | 86.5% |
| 21 | Peugeot e-3008 (2023-present) | 86.4% |
| 22 | Jaguar i-Pace (2018-2024) | 86.0% |
| 23 | Audi e-tron (2019-2022) | 84.4% |
| 24 | MG ZS EV (2019-present) | 81.8% |
| 25 | BMW iX (2021-present) | 81.0% |
| 26 | Nissan Ariya (2021-present) | 80.9% |
| 27 | Volkswagen ID 4 (2021-present) | 79.6% |
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 executive cars (2025)
Most reliable luxury cars (2023)
Most reliable small SUVs (2025)
Most reliable family SUVs (2025)
Most reliable large SUVs (2024)
Most reliavle seven-seaters (2025)
Most reliable electric cars (2024)
Most reliable sports cars (2023)
Most reliable diesel cars (2023)
Most reliable petrol cars (2023)
Most reliable hybrid cars (2025)
How the research was carried out
The latest What Car? Reliability Survey gained 29,967 responses and that enabled us to report on 199 models (up to five years old) from 31 different brands.
To compile the survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, we ask thousands of car owners to tell us how well their cars had behaved over the previous 24 months.
For every car that has suffered a fault, we ask in what area the issue occurred, plus how much it cost to repair and how long it spent in the workshop. This information is used to create a reliability rating for each model and brand where we have a large enough response rate.
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.
