Reliability Survey: Most and least reliable small cars

Small hatchbacks are often relied on by those with the tightest budgets, such as new drivers and students, and that means they need to keep soldiering on with no unexpected repair bills.

The good news is that small cars have become more reliable in the past year – the score for the class has risen from 92.1% in the 2022 What Car? Reliability Survey to 95.1%, according to the latest data.

How the research was carried out

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 latest What Car? Reliability Survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, was compiled using this information. It contains data on 178 models aged up to five years old from 32 different car brands.

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

Most reliable small cars

1. Suzuki Swift (2017-present)

Reliability rating 99.5%

What went wrong? Interior trim 4%

The Suzuki Swift trumped all its rivals to take the accolade of most dependable small car. A mere 4% of the owners who completed our survey reported any issues with their cars, and the only area to give them any grief was the interior trim. All remedial work was completed in a day or less, demonstrating that faults were minor. Even better, all work was done for free.

Owner’s view: “My Swift has been so reliable I’ll get another one in a few years.”

2. Toyota Yaris Hybrid (2011-2020)

Reliability rating 99.3%

With a fault rate of just 3%, the previous-generation Yaris Hybrid beats its newer successor. Failure of the 12-volt battery was the only fault reported. It’s inconvenient that the fault rendered affected cars undriveable, but no car was in the garage for more than a day and all repairs were done free of charge.

=3. Hyundai i10 (2014-2020)

Reliability rating 98.6%

Electrical issues were the only complaint of the 12% of 2014-2020 Hyundai i10 owners who said their cars had gone wrong over the previous 24 months. None of the faults seem to have been too serious, though, because all were rectified in a day or less. On top of this, the cost of all work was covered by Hyundai, so no owners were left out of pocket.   

=3. Toyota Yaris Hybrid (2020-present)

Reliability rating 98.6%

While not quite as reliable as its predecessor, the latest Toyota Yaris is a sound bet as a robust small car. Only 6% suffered an issue, all concerning the engine electrics, and all repairs were free. However, although all of the affected cars remained driveable, the faults put them off the road for more than a week.

5. Honda Jazz (2015-2020)

Reliability rating 98.5%

Only 9% of the 2015-2020 Honda Jazz models we were told about went wrong, and the air-conditioning and bodywork were the only problematic areas. Disruption to owners was minimal, with all cars remaining driveable and fixed within a day. Although only a third of remedial work was done for free, the remaining two-thirds of repairs cost owners less than £50 each. 

=6. Honda Jazz (2020-present)

Reliability rating 98.4%

Although the current Honda Jazz doesn't score quite as highly as its predecessor, it's still a hugely dependable little hatchback. Only 7% of the cars reported on had any issues, and the most common complaints were with the battery and electrics, including the sat-nav/infotainment system. All cars were fixed for free, but 78% of them spent more than a week in the workshop. 

=6. Hyundai i10 (2020-present)

Reliability rating 98.4%

Bodywork and interior trim issues were the only areas that gave current-generation Hyundai i10 owners any headaches. Overall, only 10% of the models in our survey suffered a fault. The good news is that all problems were sorted out at no cost to owners. The not-so-good news is that half of the affected cars were out of action for more than a week. 

8. Kia Picanto (2017-present)

Reliability rating 97.5%

Living with the latest Kia Picanto has generally been a great experience for owners, with only 10% of them telling us their cars had any problems. The main cause for concern was the gearbox/clutch, followed by the interior trim and sat-nav/infotainment system. While 60% of repairs were paid for by Kia, some owners paid out up to £300 to get their cars fixed. All cars could still be driven, though, and 60% of faults were fixed within a day, and the rest were resolved in less than a week. 

9. Dacia Sandero (2013-2020)

Reliability rating 96.8%

It's not such a rosy picture for 2013-2020 Dacia Sandero owners, who told us 20% of their cars had a glitch. The main gripes were with the engine and gearbox/clutch, and these faults rendered all affected cars undriveable. Dacia didn't cover the cost of any repairs, leaving owners with bills ranging from £501 to £1000, and all cars took more than a week to put right. 

10. Mini hatchback (2014-present)

Reliability rating 96.7%

Although 13% of Mini hatchbacks went wrong, most issues were fairly minor and were quick and cheap to fix. Bodywork issues were the most common complaint, followed by problems with interior trim and the air-con system. Mini and its dealers paid for 83 % of remedial work, and none of the remaining bills topped £200. All cars could still be driven, and 83% were back on the road in less than seven days. 

Least reliable small cars 

=1. Audi A1 (2018-present)

Reliability rating 87.3%

What went wrong? Non-engine electrics 21%, bodywork 7%, sat-nav/infotainment 4%

A quarter of Audi A1 owners told us their cars had gone wrong, and the problems weren’t easy or cheap to fix. Although 50% of repairs were carried out for free, 25% of them cost between £201 and £500, and the other 25% exceeded £1500. Three-quarters of the faulty cars could still be driven, and a quarter were back on the road within a day, but the rest were stuck in the garage for more than a week.

=1. Seat Ibiza (2017-present)

Reliability rating 87.3%

Faults with infotainment systems made up nearly half of the issues reported for the Seat Ibiza, with engine, electric and exhaust faults accounting for the rest. Overall, 32% of Ibizas went wrong, 47% of which were out of action for more than a week. Seat covered the cost of 87% of repairs, but 7% of owners paid between £301 and £500.

3. Vauxhall Corsa (2014-2019)

Reliability rating 91.2%

The previous-generation Vauxhall Corsa is fairly dependable, but it lands in the bottom three of what is a high-scoring class. Minor bodywork issues were the most common complaint among the 22% that went wrong, two-thirds being put right in a day or less. Repairs were free in 43% of cases, but 14% cost more than £1500.

4. Mazda 2 petrol (2015-present)

Reliability rating 92.7%

Slow and costly repairs were the main bugbears for the 19% of Mazda 2 owners whose cars went wrong. Of that group, 29% were stuck in garages for more than a week. Although 71% of cars were fixed for free, the remaining 29% of drivers were faced with bills of up to £300. Most issues were surrounding the bodywork, brakes and battery. 

5. Fiat 500 (2008-present)

Reliability rating 93.2%

Fiat’s smallest car, the Fiat 500, gave trouble for 33% of owners, with the most common fault areas being issues with the exhaust (14%), engine (5%) and infotainment (5%). Luckily, most of the affected cars could still be driven, but 11% were out of action for more than a week. And all owners were faced with bills ranging from £301 - £500.

6. Skoda Fabia (2015-2021)

Reliability rating 94.3%

Non-engine electrical faults were the main problem areas with the Skoda Fabia. Overall, 21% of car owners reported a fault, and 5% of them were to do with the brakes, while other problem areas included the bodywork, gearbox/clutch and interior trim. The good news is that Skoda paid for most (64%) of the issues and most cars were still driveable. Not so good, is that the remaining 35% of owners faced bills of up to £200.

= 7. Volkswagen Polo petrol (2018-present)

Reliability rating 94.9% 

The Volkswagen Polo doesn’t have the highest fault rate at 20%, but when things do go wrong, they can take some time to put right. According to owners, 30% of faulty cars took longer than a week to repair. The good news is that VW paid for 80% of repairs, and no one paid more than £500 to have their car fixed. Bodywork and non-engine electrics were the most common causes for concern.

=7. Ford Fiesta petrol (2017-present)

Reliability rating 94.9%

Lengthy stints in the workshop are the main complaint of Ford Fiesta owners, who told us that more than half of their faulty cars took more than a week to repair. Overall, 19% of Fiestas in our survey had a problem, the engine electrics, bodywork and exhaust were the most common problem areas. Although Ford paid for 80% of remedial work, 15% of owners had to fork out up to £200 for repairs. 

9. Toyota Yaris (2011-2020)

Reliability rating 95.9%

Issues with the brakes and infotainment system were the only faults 2011-2020 Toyota Yaris owners told us about, and only 9% of the cars reported on were affected by these issues. All cars were fixed within a week, but all owners were faced with bills ranging from £101 - £500.

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

All cars and SUVs here
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 car brands
Most reliable diesel cars

Reliability of small cars aged up to five years old

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.

<< Previous | Next: Most and least reliable family cars >>