2023 What Car? Reliability Survey: Most and least reliable luxury cars

Luxury cars are the epitome of opulence, laden with every creature comfort you can imagine and providing their occupants with acres of interior space in which to relax.

However, that chilled feeling could turn rather hot if your expensive motor lets you down. And the bad news is that luxury cars and luxury SUVs are among the least reliable cars on the road. 

This year the average luxury car score of 90.3% was the second worst of all classes in our Reliability Survey and it's been a similar story in previous years too. However, there are still some strong performers.

The 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey is live, tell us about your car now

Most reliable luxury car

1. Porsche Cayenne (2018-2023)

Reliability rating 98.7%

What went wrong? Non-engine electrics 6% 

Luxury SUVs are tech-laden and often suffer more woes than other types of car, but the Porsche Cayenne bucks this trend with a near-perfect reliability record. Only 6% of Cayennes in our survey went wrong, and all remedial work was done for free. The only blot on the model’s reliability copybook is that all affected cars were off the road for a week or longer.

Owner’s view: “Mine is my second example and neither has ever let me down.”

2. Jaguar XJ (2010-2019)

Reliability rating 95.8%

The 2010-2019 Jaguar XJ is a rare beast among Jaguar models, in that it consistently scores well for reliability. Only 14% had any issues, all concerning non-engine electrical systems and the exhaust. Jaguar covered the cost of all repairs, but its technicians were slow; all the cars reported on spent more than a week off the road.

3. Range Rover (2013-2022)

Reliability rating 95.6%

The Range Rover is Land Rover’s priciest model and also by far the most dependable. Only 14% of owners reported issues with the previous-generation, 2013-2022 Range Rover – all relating to non-engine electrical systems. All could still be driven and half were put right in a day or less. Land Rover fixed half for free, and no owner paid more than £300.

Least reliable luxury cars

1. Mercedes GLE (2019-present)

Reliability rating 87.6%

What went wrong? Non-engine electrics 25%, bodywork 19%, interior trim 13%, exhaust 6%, sat-nav/ infotainment 6%, suspension 6%

The Mercedes GLE has a higher fault rate than you’d want from a luxury SUV, with 44% of those in our survey suffering at least one glitch. Every affected car could still be driven and half of the faults were fixed in a day or less, but 42% of the affected cars spent more than a week in the garage. At least all necessary remedial work was carried out for free.

2. Range Rover Sport (2014-2022)

Reliability rating 91.1%

Although 24% of examples of the previous-generation, 2014-2022 Range Rover Sport developed a fault, 57% were fixed within a day and the rest took less than a week. Land Rover covered the cost of 71% of repairs, and most bills were below £500. Only 7% of owners had to pay more than £1500. Issues included bodywork, brakes interior trim and electrical faults.

3. Audi Q8 (2019-present)

Reliability rating 93.2%

While 30% of examples of the latest Audi Q8 went wrong, repairs were speedy and all were carried out for free. Problems with the sat-nav/infotainment system were the most common complaint, followed by issues with the bodywork. All cars remained driveable and three-quarters of remedial work was completed in less than a week.

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

All cars and SUVs here
Most reliable small cars
Most reliable family cars
Most reliable executive 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 car brands
Most reliable diesel cars

Reliability of luxury cars and SUVs aged up to five years old

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