the-10-most-reliable-used-cars

More than 18,000 drivers with vehicles aged between four to 10 years old took part in the study, rating how reliable their cars have been over the previous year, the type of problems they’ve encountered as well as whether they were fixed under warranty.

Japanese manufacturers dominate the top 10 table for most reliable vehicles, occupying seven out of the 10 positions, so let's check out what they are. Does your car feature? More importantly, does your next one?

We go in ascending order, starting at number 10, with our reliability rating for each model:

The UK’s most and least reliable used cars have been revealed as part of new research by the UK’s leading consumer champion and new car buying platform, What Car?

The VW Group famously spends more money on research and development than any rival – and as a result, perhaps it should be no surprise that our testers rate its cars so consistently highly.

The fact that many of those cars use the same underpinnings also helps, because it means that if they get it right once, they have the foundations to keep on getting it right.

However, the Volkswagen brand faces plenty of tough competition, often from within, because the rapidly rising Seat and Skoda brands that are also part of the group have access to the same technology.

VOLKSWAGEN

TOUAREG

It seems the solid and dependable image of the Touareg is more than backed up by its reliability data, despite its weight and relative complexity.

94.1%

10: Volkswagen Touareg (2010 – 2018)

Honda is a company that doesn’t like to follow the crowd. So, while it competes in most of the traditional sectors of the car market, in each case it does something a little bit different.

The Jazz, for example, might look like just another rival to Britain’s best-selling car, the Ford Fiesta, but it’s actually much more practical than its rivals, with a flexible boot and Tardis-like interior.

The bigger Civic is also a practical choice, but it’s mainly distinguished by having eye-catching, love-it-or-hate-it styling, despite competing in a sector of the market that’s usually more conservative than a blue rosette.

And while it may not seem so radical now, Honda’s large SUV, the CR-V, was one of the first to forego any pretence of being an off-roader and instead focus on on-road driving dynamics.

HONDA

JAZZ

Just 3% of Jazz owners reporting a fault with their car. The only problem area was the sat-nav, but affected cars were repaired for free in less than a week.&nbsp;

94.2%

9: Honda Jazz (2008 – 2015)

CR-V

Honda's CR-V is proving a reliable option as well as practical one, even as it grows quite old.

94.6%

8: Honda CR-V (2012 – 2018)

CIVIC

While the previous Civic never made much of a sales impact compared to the big players in its market, the VW Golf and Ford Focus, our data suggests it's a brilliantly reliable car, especially in diesel form.

95.0%

7: Honda Civic diesel (2012 – 2017)

In the same way that Infiniti acts as Nissan’s premium arm, Lexus has a similar tie-in with Toyota. And since most of Toyota’s models are offered as hybrids, it’s no surprise to see the same from Lexus, although there are some traditional petrol engines, too.

The brand focuses heavily on SUVs – namely the NX and RX – but also has the CT hatchback, ES executive saloon and LS luxury car among its portfolio. More small and large SUVs are expected in the future.

Like Toyota, Lexus has built a very strong reputation for reliability and regularly finishes very close to the top of our annual Reliability Survey.

LEXUS

Lexus has always made very reliable cars, and even older models like this generation of RX shouldn't let you down if our data is anything to go by.

95.4%

6: Lexus RX (2009 – 2016)

Today, the resurgent Seat brand is selling better cars than at any time in its history.

In large part, that’s because it is one of the brands owned by the VW Group. Underneath, all of the cars it sells are strongly related to similar models sold by Volkswagen itself, or the likes of Skoda and even Audi. If you are buying a Leon, for example, the hardware will be similar to that of the Golf, Octavia and A3.

But while Seat makes the most of this tie-up to offer everything from city, small and family cars, including estates, through to a full range of SUVs, it also adds in its own slice of character, both with its distinctive styling approach and because its engineers generally tune the cars to deliver sportier handling.

While all of its cars are decent, it is the SUVs that stand out. The Arona and Ateca are among the class leaders and have enjoyed triumphs at the What Car? Awards.

SEAT

LEON

The Leon has a solid reliability record, according to our most recent reliability survey, and it is one of our favourite used buys in the family hatchback class.

95.9%

5: Seat Leon (2013 – present)

While Mitsubishi sells both the Mirage hatchback and the L200 pick-up truck in the UK, the core of its range is in SUVs – handy, since this is one of the largest markets worldwide.

There’s an SUV to suit everyone, too. If you’re a company car driver, the Outlander PHEV mixes low fuel bills with a spacious interior. The ASX, meanwhile, is attractively priced against key rivals such as the Nissan Qashqai and Seat Ateca. Or, if you prefer mud to asphalt, the Shogun offers genuine off-road ability.

More SUVs are on the way, too, including one that’s rumoured to bring back the ‘Evo’ name made famous in rallying.

MITSUBISHI

The ASX can’t match the five and seven-year warranties of rivals from Hyundai and Kia, but there is a three-year warranty with no mileage limit, whereas many rivals provide only a limited 60,000 miles of cover. But as our survey data shows, it's a very well put together car.

96.3%

4: Mitsubishi ASX (2010 – present)

Audi is a brand that sets the standard for interior quality, and this, combined with its vast and ever-growing model line-up, has helped it become one of the ‘big three’ German prestige car makers, along with BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The A3 hatchback, A4 executive saloon and Q7 SUV have all won their classes at the What Car? Car of the Year Awards in recent years, while the TT coupé is the most decorated car in the history of the ceremony.

At least some of Audi's success over the past 30 years can be attributed to the growth in sales of vehicles with four-wheel drive; the company arguably led the way in bringing 4x4 technology into the mainstream, with its Quattro coupé in the early 1980s.

Today, most Audis are available with at least the option of four-wheel drive, while the list of SUVs from the brand includes the Q2, Q3, Q5 and Q7.

AUDI

Petrol-engined versions of the Audi Q3 had fewer faults than their diesel counterparts – 16% compared with 28%. Most (50%) were minor niggles with the bodwork; other affected areas included the brakes, engine and non-engine electrics. Two thirds of cars remained driveable, but a small percentage of owners faced repair bills of up to £1500.&nbsp;

96.5%&nbsp;

3: Audi Q3 (2011 – 2018)

If you want a dependable long-term motoring partner a good bet is Lexus, with its CT hybrid spearheading its aim to provide motorists with the most dependable and environmentally friendly cars. And it's even more impressive when you consider all CTs feature a complex hybrid system. 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
98.8%

2: Lexus CT (2011 – present)

Toyota is a company undergoing a quiet revolution, as it works hard to replace its sensible but somewhat bland reputation with one for being a bit more daring, in areas such as the styling of its cars and its enthusiastic leadership of cutting-edge technology, such as hybrid systems.

That process seems to be working for buyers, with the hugely popular and striking-looking C-HR SUV in particular attracting a great deal of interest. The latest version of the hybrid Prius is also rated highly by What Car?; it’s the first Prius to go on sale that our testers have felt can truly compete all round with existing petrol or diesel rivals.

However, it’s worth noting that this period of transition is also a work in progress, and that many of the firm’s cars are still rated as being no more than average among class rivals by our testers.

TOYOTA

YARIS

And the UK's most reliable used car is... the Toyota Yaris. The Yaris may be small but it’s big on dependability – the little hatchback proved faultlessly reliable according to owners, with none reporting any issues. In fact, four out of 10 Yaris owners cited reliability when asked what they liked best about their car.&nbsp;

1: Toyota Yaris (2011 –present)

The 10 most reliable used cars

<h2>How our survey was conducted:</h2><ul><li>Owners told us about 18,119 cars</li> <li>218 models and 31 brands were then rated</li> <li>Cars were judged on the cost of repairs and time spent off the road –the two main factors involved in creating our unique reliability rating (as a percentage) </li></ul>

The Reliability Award is presented to those manufacturers that performed the best in our 2019 What Car? Reliability Survey. This year, more than 18,000 car owners responded to the survey, rating 218 models and 31 manufacturers. The brands&nbsp;that scored the highest take home our prizes this year.&nbsp;

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