2018 What Car? Reliability Survey
Family cars
Most reliable: Hyundai i30 - 98.9%
What went wrong? Gearbox/clutch 6%
Don't discount the previous-generation Hyundai i30 because it is no longer on sale; it has an impressive reliability record. The only problem area was the gearbox/clutch, but all faulty i30s were fixed within a week for free.
Although 23% of Audi A3s suffered faults, they were in less serious areas such as bodywork (10%), including fuel caps that wouldn’t open and haywire parking sensors. Other problem areas were suspension (6%) and engine and non-engine electrics (both 3%). All cars were back on the road the same day and no owners paid for the repairs.
The diesel Skoda Octavia was more dependable than its petrol counterpart; just 10% of examples suffered a fault, compared with 12%. A wide range of areas was affected, but most cars remained driveable. A small proportion cost up to £200 to get fixed.
Least reliable: Peugeot 308 - 81.5%
What went wrong? Non-engine electrics; 18% Bodywork; 12% Engine electrics 9%; Air-con 6%; Brakes 6%; Interior trim 6%; Sat-nav 6%; Battery 3%; Engine 3%; Exhaust 3%; Gearbox/clutch 3%
The Peugeot 308 is even less reliable than the smaller 208, with nearly half of examples suffering a fault. Again, the majority were electrical issues. The areas concerned included heated seats, the infotainment system and parking sensors. Most cars could still be driven, but a few owners were charged up to £500 for the work.
A worrying 45% of Nissan Pulsar owners reported a fault on their car, and of those, 18% were non-engine electrical problems. Although all cars were fixed for free, some spent more than a week off the road.
The diesel Mercedes-Benz A-Class was afflicted by fewer faults (33%), but 13% of them related to the engine. Other issues concerned the battery, bodywork, electrics, exhaust and fuel system (all 7%). Two-thirds were fixed in less than a week, but some cost up to £500.
