2017 What Car? Reliability Survey
In our 2017 Reliability Survey, we asked more than 14,200 people to tell us about any faults their cars have suffered during the past year. These are the results for small SUVs aged 0-3yrs...
Small SUVs
Diesel-engined versions of Volkswagen’s Tiguan outperform the petrols for dependability, with only 5% of owners telling us about faults. The only issue was non-engine electrical faults, which were fixed under warranty in less than a week.
The Ford Kuga also proves impressively sturdy. Only 18% of the diesel versions we were told about had problems and they were mostly electrical issues with the air-con and the infotainment system. Some of these incurred hefty repair bills, though.
Skoda’s Yeti Outdoor isn’t quite as robust, with 31% of cars having problems, the most common of which related to non-engine electrics. But none lingered in the garage for more than a week and most were fixed in less than a day and for free under warranty.
Nissan Qashqai petrol models gain the wooden spoon for small SUV reliability, with a 56% fault rate. Batteries, bodywork and non-engine electrics topped the long list of problem areas. The only good news is that most cars were fixed in less than a week for free.
Owners told us that more than 33% of Fiat 500Xs have had a fault in the past year, with areas of concern split fairly evenly between bodywork and electrical issues (engine and non-engine). Although all were fixed under warranty, most took more than a day to put right.
It may look rugged, but the Jeep Renegade isn’t the sturdiest SUV you can buy. Nearly 43% of cars suffered from faults and many centred on serious issues, such as the engine, engine electrics and braking systems. Some cars were off the road for more than a week.
Reliability for small SUVs aged 0-3yrs
| Rank | Make and model | Score |
|---------------|--------------------|---------------------------|| 1 | Volkswagen Tiguan diesel (2016-present) | 96.3% || 2 | Ford Kuga diesel (2012-present) | 92.8% || 3 | Skoda Yeti Outdoor petrol (2013-present) | 92.7% || 4 | Kia Soul (2014-present) | 88.9% || 5 | Mazda CX-3 (2015-present) | 88.2% || 6 | Kia Sportage diesel (2010-2016) | 87.7% || 7 | Nissan Juke diesel (2010-present) | 87.2% || 8 | Hyundai Tucson diesel (2015-present) | 86.6% || 9 | Peugeot 2008 (2013-present) | 86.1% || 10 | Vauxhall Mokka diesel (2012-2016) | 85.6% || 11 | Suzuki Vitara (2015-present) | 84.2% || 12 | Mini Countryman (2010-2016) | 81.3% || 13 | Renault Kadjar diesel (2015-present) | 79.4% || 14 | Audi Q3 diesel (2011-present) | 78.7% || 15 | Audi Q3 petrol (2011-present) | 77.1% || 16 | Citroen C4 Cactus (2014-present) | 76.3% || 17 | Skoda Yeti Outdoor diesel (2013-present) | 75.5% || 18 | Hyundai ix35 diesel (2010-2015) | 75.4% || 19 | Volkswagen Tiguan diesel (2008-2016) | 74.6% || 20 | Vauxhall Mokka petrol (2012-2016) | 74.2% || 21 | Renault Captur diesel (2013-present) | 73.9% || 22 | Dacia Duster diesel (2013-present) | 71.3% || 23 | Honda HR-V (2015-present) | 70.3% || 24 | Skoda Yeti (2009-2016) | 70.0% || 25 | Renault Captur petrol (2013-present) | 66.7% || 26 | BMW X1 diesel (2015-present) | 62.9% || 27 | Mercedes-Benz GLA (2014-2017) | 58.6% || 28 | Seat Ateca (2016-present) | 56.2% || 29 | Nissan Juke petrol (2010-present) | 55.2% || 30 | Nissan Qashqai diesel (2014-present) | 44.2% || 31 | Jeep Renegade (2015-present) | 42.1% || 32 | Fiat 500X (2015-present) | 32.3% || 33 | Nissan Qashqai petrol (2014-present) | 28.9% |***
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