In association with MotorEasy
What Car? Reliability Survey: Most and least reliable 7-seaters
In our annual Reliability Survey, we ask readers to rate the dependability of cars aged up to five years old. Here we list the most and least reliable 7-seaters in the UK...
Around 1.2 million families in the UK have more than two children, and many other people regularly transport more than four children or adults, so the added versatility of a seven-seat car is extremely important to them.
Buyers can choose between large SUVs and MPVs, but when it comes to reliability survey results, they need to be rather selective because MPVs generally score lower than seven-seat SUVs.
Overall, seven-seaters are one of the lowest-scoring car classes for reliability, too, gaining a rating of 90.8% in last year's survey and 90.3% this time round. However, there are some very robust examples, such as this year's winner the 2018-2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, Mercedes GLB and diesel versions of the 2016-2024 Skoda Kodiaq.
The most common faults suffered by seven-seat vehicles are electrical issues, including faults with infotainment systems. This article lists models aged up to five years old. Reliability information for older models is in our most reliable used cars feature.
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Most reliable 7-seaters
1. Hyundai Santa Fe (2018-2024)
Reliability rating 100%
Most common faults: none
Average repair cost: £0
Typical time off road: n/a
Results in the seven-seater category were disappointing this year. Only cars in the electric SUV category posted a lower average score, so a seven-seater that manages an unblemished 100% rating deserves a huge amount of praise. The Santa Fe not only does just this, but it’s also the second Hyundai model to gain a perfect score this year, alongside the much cheaper i10 city car.
The Santa Fe’s perfect score means no owners had any issues or breakdowns in their cars in the previous 24 months, so none had to contend with unwanted repair bills.
Owner’s view: “The build quality and reliability of my Santa Fe are both exemplary.”
Used Hyundai Santa Fes for sale
2. Skoda Kodiaq diesel (2016-2024)
Reliability rating 97.8%
Most common faults: exhaust 6%, non-engine electrics 6%, gearbox 3%
Average repair cost: £0
Typical time off road: 67% one day or less, 33% more than a week
The Skoda Kodiaq was the Czech firm's first large SUV and its first model to come with seven seats as standard. It shares its underpinnings with the Volkswagen Tiguan and Audi Q3, which is no bad thing because it has a roomy and classy interior and a choice of punchy yet frugal engines.
Diesel versions of the previous generation Kodiaq gain a higher rating than the petrol models, suffering fewer faults and being repaired more quickly. Overall, 14% of diesel Kodiaqs went wrong, compared with 19% of petrols.
Of the faulty cars, 67% were in and out of the workshop in a day or less, while only 14% of petrol models were. All the defective cars could still be driven, and 33% of diesels were out of action for more than a week, compared with 71% of petrols. Exhausts and non-engine electrics were the most common causes of problems. All issues were fixed for free.
3. Mercedes GLB (2019-present)
Reliability rating 96.0%
Most common faults: non-engine electrics 10%, bodywork 5%, engine 5%, interior trim 5%, sat-nav/infotainment system 5%
Average repair cost: £0
Typical time off road: 50% one day or less, 33% one day to a week
The Mercedes GLB is a classy and efficient seven-seat SUV, but its ride is on the firm side, and it's pricier than rivals as a used buy. That said, our favourite model, the 220d diesel, is efficient and has plenty of power.
Electrical issues – including problems with the infotainment system – were the main bugbear of GLB owners, who told us that 29% of their cars had gone wrong. There were also concerns about the bodywork, engine and interior trim.
More positively, Mercedes and its dealers paid for all fixes, even though many vehicles were no longer covered by the brand’s new-car warranty. In many instances, repairs were swift, too; half of the affected cars were sorted in a day or less, 33% took up to a week to put right and only 17% were in workshops for more than a week.
4. Vauxhall Combo Life Electric (2022-present)
Reliability rating 95.3%
Most common faults: 12-volt battery 7%, sat-nav/infotainment system 7%
Average repair cost: £0
Typical time off road: 33% one day or less, 67% more than a week
The van-based Combo Life Electric is available in a choice of two trim levels, and with a number of seating arrangements — it comes as a five or seven-seater in standard M format, and with seven pews as standard in the extra long XL. Both the XL and regular M versions have plenty of space for passengers and luggage. It's a pricey option, but it is better equipped than the near-identical Citroën e-Berlingo and Peugeot e-Rifter.
Another point in its favour is that the Combo Life Electric is the highest-rated MPV for reliability. Only 13% of the Combo Life models we were told about had any issues, and two-thirds of the affected cars could still be driven. Remedial work was slow, taking more than a week in many instances, but Vauxhall paid for all the fixes.
Vauxhall Combo Life Electric review
5. Kia Sorento (2020-present)
Reliability rating 94.8%
Most common faults: non-engine electrics 9%, bodywork 6%, air-con 3%, engine 3%, electric battery pack 3%, sat-nav/infotainment system 3%
Average repair cost: £0
Typical time off road: 36% one day or less, 64% one day to a week
The Kia Sorento has evolved from a purely diesel-powered seven-seater to one that can also be had as a regular hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV). Whichever engine you opt for, you'll get a hugely practical, roomy and well specced large SUV. Although it can be fairly costly to buy, we think the entry-level trim – called 2 – is the best choice.
Although 29% of the Sorentos in our survey went wrong, most issues were with electrical systems and only 18% of the affected cars couldn't be driven. Two-thirds of cars were in the garage for up to a week, but Kia paid for all repairs.
Reliability rating 92.3%
Most common faults: engine 5%, sat-nav/infotainment system 5%, non-engine electrics 3%
Average repair cost: £0
Typical time off road: 41% one day or less, 53% more than a week
If you want a family SUV with unstoppable off-road prowess, the Defender should be on your shopping list because it's roomy, practical and even better than the original off the beaten track. It is available in a choice of three body styles: the three-door Defender 90, the five-door Defender 110 – available as a five, six or seven-seater – and the enormous Defender 130, which is available with up to eight seats.
The Defender's fault rate of 22% is fairly high, but two thirds of issues were electrical glitches and 82% of cars with problems could still be driven. Although 41% of problems were fixed in a day or less, more than half of the affected cars were out of action for more than a week. However, Land Rover picked up the tab for all necessary work.
Land Rover Defender leasing deals
7. Skoda Kodiaq petrol (2016-2024)
Reliability rating 92.2%
Most common faults: non-engine electrics 8%, sat-nav/infotainment system 8%, engine 5%, gearbox 5%
Average repair cost: £0
Typical time off road: 21% one day or less, 71% more than a week
The Kodiaq is one of the very best seven-seat SUVs, as well as one of the most affordable to buy used. However, if you want the most dependable one, you might want to consider a diesel model because it's proving more robust than the petrol versions.
Although only 14% of petrol Kodiaqs went wrong, a shocking 71% of them spent more than a week in the workshop, and only 21% of cars were back on the road in a day or less. Issues ranged from electrical gremlins to difficulties with the engine and gearbox. At least no owners had any unexpected bills because Skoda picked up the tab for all work that was needed.
=8. Dacia Jogger (2022-present)
Reliability rating 91.5%
Most common faults: Gearbox/clutch 14%, bodywork 5%, fuel system 5%, sat-nav/infotainment system 5%
Average repair cost: £0
Typical time off road: 14% one day or less, 58% more than a week
The Dacia Jogger is the cheapest seven-seat MPV you can buy new, but it is a good option because it is a well-thought-out people mover with genuine seven-seat usability, decent driving dynamics and plenty of equipment. However, it's worth bearing in mind that it has a low Euro NCAP safety rating, mostly because its active driver assistance technology is more limited than other new cars.
Owners told us that 19% of their Joggers had a glitch, and worryingly 43% of those couldn't be driven. No wonder that more than half spent longer than a week in the garage. The good news is that all remedial work was done for free, though.
=8. Peugeot 5008 (2017-2024)
Reliability rating 91.5%
Most common faults: Engine 8%, non-engine electrics 8%
Average repair cost: £0
Typical time off road: 52% one day or less, 29% more than a week
With the arrival of this second-generation version of the 5008, this Peugeot model has morphed from a boxy MPV into an attractively styled SUV. It still comes with seven seats as standard and offers many practical features to take the strain out of family life, including three separate sliding seats in the second row. It comes with a wide range of petrol and diesel engines, all of which are smooth and capable of hauling the car around at a decent rate.
Although just over a third (35%) of the 5008s reported on went wrong, 90% of those cars could still be driven, and most issues were fixed the same day by dealers. Best of all, Peugeot covered the cost of all repair work.
10. Volvo XC90 (2015-2025)
Reliability rating 90.9%
Most common faults: sat-nav/infotainment 14%, interior trim 7%, bodywork 4%, exhaust 4%, non-engine electrics 4%
Average repair cost: 92% cost £0, 8% £751-£1000
Typical time off road: 20% one day or less, 20% one day to a week, 60% more than a week
The classy Volvo XC90 combines a spacious and high-quality interior with plenty of kit. It's also a great used buy that looks like good value compared with the Audi Q7 or the Mercedes GLE. While the previous version of the XC90 came with some beefy engines, including a V8, this generation was only sold with four-cylinder petrol and diesel options. However, they're all up to the job of hauling the luxury SUV around with ease.
Reliability is good overall, but there have been issues with the EV battery packs on some plug-in hybrid versions. Although 29% of the XC90s reported on went wrong, 90% of those remained drivable. Repairs were slow in many cases, but Volvo paid for most of the necessary work.
Least reliable 7-seaters
While the latest Mercedes GLB is proving to be a robust choice so far, the same can't be said for the Audi Q7, which had a lot of faults and could be costly to repair.
1. Audi Q7 (2015-present)
Reliability rating 78.6%
Most common faults: non-engine electrics 20%, engine 7%, exhaust 7%, sat-nav/infotainment system 7%
Average repair cost: 57% cost £0, 29% cost more than £1500
Typical time off road: 56% one day to one week, 44% more than a week
The Audi Q7 has long been the biggest Audi SUV you can buy. It may sit below the Q8 on price, but it's slightly longer, making it roomier and more practical than the more aggressively styled coupé SUV.
The Q7 appears in this survey as both the lowest-scoring luxury car and the poorest-rated seven-seater. Owners told us that 47% of their cars had gone wrong, compared with 29% for the Mercedes-Benz GLB and Volvo XC90.
Q7 owners were also asked to pay for far more repairs than those with seven-seaters from other brands; 29% of owners received repair bills in excess of £1500, and only 57% of Q7s were fixed for free. By comparison, all faulty GLBs and 90% of XC90s were fixed for nothing, and only 10% of XC90 owners had to pay up to £1000.
Owner’s view: “Continual infotainment niggles have marred the ownership experience brought by my Q7.”
2. Land Rover Discovery Sport (2014-present)
Reliability rating 81.8%
Most common faults: bodywork 11%, engine 9%, engine electrics 7%, hybrid battery 5%, non-engine electrics 5%
Average repair cost: 87% cost £0, 8% cost more than £1500
Typical time off road: 42% one day to a week, 39% more than a week
The Discovery Sport is the second most affordable model in the Land Rover line-up, costing slightly more than the Range Rover Evoque. It's a more practical proposition than the Evoque, with the option of seven seats as standard.
Our data covers diesel, petrol and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions of the Discovery Sport and overall, 42% of participating owners reported at least one fault. While bodywork and electrical issues were the main areas of weakness in older petrol and diesel models, the electric motor and EV battery troubled owners of the P300e PHEV (introduced in 2021).
Repair work was slow, with 39% of cars off the road for more than a week, but Land Rover covered most costs; 87% of cars were fixed for free, 5% cost owners up to £300 and 8% brought bills that exceeded £1500.
Land Rover Discovery Sport review
Land Rover Discovery Sport leasing deals
=3. Seat Tarraco (2018-2024)
Reliability rating 84.9%
Most common faults: sat-nav/infotainment 33%, engine electrics 20%, bodywork 7%, engine 7%, non-engine electrics 7%
Average repair cost: 80% cost £0, 20% £101-£200
Typical time off road: 36% more than a week, 55% one day or less
Seat's largest SUV shares its underpinnings with the Skoda Kodiaq and Volkswagen Tayron, and it shares their engines, which is a good thing because they are frugal and fairly punchy. Its third row of seats isn't as spacious as some alternatives, but they're great for children or occasional use by adults.
A combination of electrical issues and engine faults has hampered Seat’s seven-seater. A hefty 67% of Tarracos went wrong, with 33% of the glitches relating to the infotainment system and 30% to the engine. On a more positive note, 91% of the affected cars could still be driven and 55% had their issues ironed out in a day or less.
A not-insignificant 36% of faulty cars were put out of action for more than a week, but Seat stumped up for 80% of the necessary repair work, leaving 20% of owners with bills ranging from £101 to £200.
=3. Land Rover Discovery (2014-present)
Reliability rating 84.9%
Most common faults: 12-volt battery 8%, air-con 8%, non-engine electrics 8%, bodywork 4%, engine 4%, exhaust 4%, gearbox 4%, interior trim 4%, sat-nav/infotainment 4%
Average repair cost: 92% cost £0, 8% more than 1500
Typical time off road: 54% more than a week, 31% one day to a week
There's more to the Discovery than seven seats, it's both desirable and capable off-road, and it's more affordable to buy than some rivals. Even the entry-level S trim has all the goodies most people will want. However, if you want a seven-seater with a seriously plush interior, you may want to consider the Audi Q7 and BMW X7 instead.
Although 50% of the Discovery owners in our survey said their car had gone wrong, 69% of those cars could still be driven. Problems occurred in a range of areas from the air-con to the engine. Land Rover covered the cost of most repairs, even though not all of the cars we were told about would have been within the new car warranty period. It's just a shame that more than half of the cars with problems were out of action for more than a week, and very few were fixed in a day or less.
Land Rover Discovery leasing deals
Reliability of seven-seaters aged up to five years old
| Rank | Make and model | Score |
| 1 | 2018-2024 Hyundai Santa Fe | 100% |
| 2 | 2016-2024 Skoda Kodiaq diesel | 97.8% |
| 3 | Mercedes GLB (2019-present) | 96.0% |
| 4 | Vauxhall Combo Life Electric (2022-present) | 95.3% |
| 5 | Kia Sorento (2020-present) | 94.8% |
| 6 | Land Rover Defender (2020-present) | 94.6% |
| 7 | 2016-2024 Skoda Kodiaq petrol | 92.2% |
| =8 | 2017-2024 Peugeot 5008 | 91.5% |
| =8 | Dacia Jogger (2022-present) | 91.5% |
| 10 | 2015-2025 Volvo XC90 | 90.9% |
| =11 | Land Rover Discovery (2017-present) | 84.9% |
| =11 | Seat Tarraco (2018-2024) | 84.9% |
| 13 | Land Rover Discovery Sport (2014-present) | 81.8% |
| 14 | Audi Q7 (2015-present) | 78.6% |
To read the reliability data for other car classes follow these links:
Most and least reliable cars overall
Most reliable car brands
Most reliable small cars
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 electric cars
Most reliable electric SUVs
Most reliable sports cars
Most reliable diesel cars
Most reliable petrol cars
Most reliable hybrid cars
How we compiled the survey
The latest What Car? Reliability Survey gained 29,967 responses and that enabled us to report on 199 models (up to five years old) from 31 different brands.
To compile the survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, we ask thousands of car owners to tell us how well their cars had behaved over the previous 24 months.
For every car that has suffered a fault, we ask in what area the issue occurred, plus how much it cost to repair and how long it spent in the workshop. This information is used to create a reliability rating for each model and brand where we have a large enough response rate.
About the report author
Claire Evans has been a motoring journalist for more than 30 years, and has focussed on consumer issues for much of that time. She was the advice columnist for Carweek magazine in the 1990s, helping car owners with faulty cars get the right level of reparation from car makers.
She also spent six years working on motoring content for Which?, and 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.
