The 10 most reliable used cars
Can't afford a new car but still want something you can depend on? Step this way...
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?
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:
10: Volkswagen Touareg (2010 – 2018)
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%
9: Honda Jazz (2008 – 2015)
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.
94.2%
8: Honda CR-V (2012 – 2018)
Honda's CR-V is proving a reliable option as well as practical one, even as it grows quite old.
94.6%
7: Honda Civic diesel (2012 – 2017)
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%
6: Lexus RX (2009 – 2016)
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%
5: Seat Leon (2013 – present)
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%
4: Mitsubishi ASX (2010 – present)
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%
3: Audi Q3 (2011 – 2018)
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.
96.5%
2: Lexus CT (2011 – present)
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.
98.8%
1: Toyota Yaris (2011 –present)
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.
