2017 What Car? Reliability Survey
Coupes and convertibles
Audi's A3 Cabriolet isn’t just practical with plenty of space; it’s robust, too. Just 10% of cars had a fault; all related to non-engine electrics and were fixed under warranty in less than a week.
The coupé and convertible versions of BMW’s 2 Series perform almost as strongly as their fellow German four-seater. Less than 13% of cars had a problem, and although only half of those were fixed in less than a week, most were minor and no charges were made for repairs.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet isn’t quite as sturdy, with 20% of cars having a problem. The convertible roof and fuel system were mostly to blame, with the latter keeping a small percentage of cars in the garage for more than a week.
Problems with bodywork, non-engine electrics and interior trim blighted the performance of the Mazda MX-5, with owners reporting faults on 32% of cars. Although all were fixed in less than a week, only half were paid for under warranty, leaving a small percentage of owners with bills that ranged between £301 and £750.
Although 40% of Mercedes-Benz SLKs had a fault (with bodywork the biggest problem area), all cars were fixed under warranty and back on the road in less than a week.
Similarly, while the Audi TT appears in the bottom three, its reliability isn’t terrible. More than 31% of cars suffered faults during the survey period, but they weren’t major and all were fixed under warranty in less than seven days.
Reliability for coupés and convertibles aged 0-3yrs
| Rank | Make and model | Score |
|---------------|--------------------|---------------------------|
| 1 | Audi A3 Cabriolet (2014-present) | 92.5% |
| 2 | BMW 2 Series Coupé/Convertible (2014-present) | 90.8% |
| 3 | Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet (2013-present) | 85.0% |
| 4 | BMW 4 Series Coupé/Convertible (2013-present) | 79.8% |
| 5 | Porsche Boxster (2012-2016) | 79.6% |
| 6 | Audi TT Coupé/Cabriolet (2014-present) | 76.0% |
| 7 | Mercedes-Benz SLK (2011-2016) | 73.6% |
| 8 | Mazda MX-5 convertible (2015-present) | 71.0%
