What Car? Reliability Survey: Most and least reliable car brands

Whether you’re looking for a new or used car and haven't narrowed down your choices yet, one of the best places to start is by checking what brands have the best track record for reliability.

That's because the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, goes to show that there’s still a significant divide between manufacturers and the models they make.

Based on the experiences of readers who own a car made in the last five years, Honda is the most reliable car brand, closely followed by Mini, Suzuki and Toyota. At the other end of the chart sit Nissan, Fiat and Jaguar, while MG is considered the least reliable car company.

Here, we share the best and worst car companies for reliability, according to our latest Reliability Survey. Each score is based not only on the number of individual faults owners encountered, but also the time dealers spent resolving the issue and how much any repairs cost.

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The most reliable car brands in the UK 2025

1. Honda

Reliability rating 96.6%

Honda has taken pole position in the What Car? Reliability Survey for the first time in seven years, with strong performances from the latest Civic, HR-V and Jazz all helping to tip the scales in the brand’s favour.

All five of the Honda models we were told about had a very low fault rate, and all faulty cars were fixed for free by the car maker. Just over 50% of issues were resolved in a day or less, and 75% of affected vehicles were in and out of the garage in less than a week. Most faulty cars remained drivable. 

The HR-V small SUV was the shining star of the range, scoring 97.5%, and the Civic family hatchback was not far behind on 97.3%. The diminutive Jazz was the brand's best-performing small car.

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2. Mini

Reliability rating 96.4% 

Last year's winner, Mini, claims second place this year, thanks to its combination of an impressively low overall fault rate of 11% and the fact that owners told us the brand covered the cost of all fixes.

Its secret weapon this year was the 2014-2024 Mini hatchback, which bagged an impressive score of 99.1%, making it the third highest scoring small car. The recently replaced Mini Countryman posted a strong rating of 95.4%, and the 2020-2024 Mini Electric was one of the strong contenders in the electric car class with 94.2%. 

Problems were mainly centred on the bodywork and issues with the sat-nav/infotainment system. The only slight downside is that 44% of faults took more than a week to put right.

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3. Suzuki

Reliability rating 95.7%

Suzuki is a consistently high scorer in the What Car? Reliability Survey. It has gained a spot in the top five for the past five consecutive years, demonstrating the long-term durability of its models and the level of care offered by its dealerships. This year it covered the cost of 88% of fault repairs for cars up to five years old and its dealers fixed 42% of issues in a day or less.

With a score of 95.9%, the 2017-2024 Swift is its most robust model, followed by the Vitara on 95.4%. The S-Cross also scored a respectable 93.5%.

Overall, 17% of owners told us their cars had gone wrong, with the 12-volt battery, bodywork and interior trim the most common concerns. 

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4. Toyota

Reliability rating 95.2%

Toyota has moved up from fifth to fourth place this year, with some of its models demonstrating extreme durability. The tiny Aygo X is the second highest scoring small car overall, with an almost perfect 99.7%, but it's outshone by the rally-inspired GR Yaris, which gained the best possible reliability rating of 100%. 

According to owners, 19% of their cars had a glitch, and most were to do with the 12-volt battery. Toyota carried out 88% of remedial work for free, and the few owners who had to pay didn't need to find more than £500 per fault. Fifty-eight percent of issues were sorted out within 24 hours. 

Other highly rated models include the RAV4 plug-in hybrid, which scored 99.2%, the GR86 sports coupe, with 97.9%, and the Corolla family car on 96.5%. 

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5. Vauxhall

Reliability rating 95.1% 

Vauxhall's family SUV, the Grandland, has helped it gain a spot in our top 10 for the first time. The second generation of the medium-sized SUV is looking far more robust than its predecessor, with a minimal fault rate of just 4%, compared with 19% for the 2018-2024 model.

Petrol versions of the Astra, Corsa and Mokka all achieved high ratings too, but the Corsa Electric wasn't so bulletproof - it scored only 87.6%. 

A respectable 83% of the Vauxhall vehicles we were told about didn't have any faults, and 96% of those that did were fixed for free. While 30% of problems were put right in a day or less, 43% of cars took more than a week to repair.  

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6. BMW 

Reliability rating 94.6% 

BMW is one of only three premium brands to feature in our top 10, with a rating that's 4% higher than rivals Audi and Mercedes, which both sit in joint 22nd place in our chart. 

Owners told us they mostly got a great level of service when things went wrong - although 19% of the BMW cars reported on went wrong, 96% of problems were sorted for free by the car maker. A third of fixes were done in a day or less, but a further third took more than a week to sort out. 

Five models gained exemplary scores: the used-only i3 and i4 were the best rated electric cars, with scores of 97.4% and 96.8% respectively, the petrol-engined versions of the 3 Series were second best for reliability in the executive car class, the X5 was the second best luxury vehicle and the 4 Series Coupe/Convertible the second best in our sports car category. Only the iX electric SUV let the side down with a score of 81%. 

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7. Tesla 

Reliability rating 94.5%

Tesla has really upped its game when it comes to reliability, rising from low down in the rankings a couple of years ago to seventh place in the latest survey. Owners told us that 17% of their cars went wrong, and the car maker covered the cost of 94% of remedial work, leaving most of the remaining customers with bills of £500 or less. Even better, 53% of issues were resolved in 24 hours or less, and only 18% of cars were out of action for more than seven days. 

The Model Y electric SUV was the brand’s highest scorer, at 97.1%, followed by the Model 3 executive car on 92.8%. 

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8. Kia 

Reliability rating 94.4% 

Kia has moved up from 11th place last year, partly thanks to the excellent performance of some of its latest models. Best of all is the EV3 small electric SUV, which was one of only four models to gain a perfect 100% reliability rating in the latest survey. The latest Niro plug-in hybrid also looks good with a score of 99.0%.

Some older models performed well, too, particularly the Ceed family hatchback, which is going off sale in 2025 but looks like a great secondhand option with a reliability rating of 98.8%. Only the EV6 looks less convincing with a score of 89.5%.

Overall, 19% of the Kia models reported on had a problem, but 37% were put right in a day or less, and the car maker paid for 98% of the repairs.  

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9. Lexus

Reliability rating 94.2%

Toyota's premium brand, Lexus, has dropped to ninth place this year, due to battery issues that have plagued the LBX. A whopping 61% of LBX owners said their car had suffered a failure, and 54% of those involved that battery.

In response to our findings, Lexus has stated that the problem concerns a "run of affected batteries" and that any LBX owner who experiences a problem or takes their car in for a routine service will have the battery checked and replaced for free if necessary.

Other Lexus models, including the NX, RX and UX, all achieved scores of 94% or higher and didn't have any significant shortcomings. Twenty-one percent of the cars we were told about had an issue, but 99% were fixed for free by Lexus, and 64% of faults were sorted out within a day. 

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10. Citroën 

Reliability rating 93.9% 

This French car brand has slowly been improving its reliability record over the past few years, and this is the second time it's made it into our top 10. 

Electrical issues were the main headache for the 20% of owners who told us their car had suffered a fault. The car maker paid for remedial work in 87% of instances, and its dealers repaired 33% of cars in less than a day, but 37% of them took more than a week to fix. 

Its best models were the C4 hatchback and C5 Aircross, which were rated at 93.7 and 94.1% respectively. 

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Least reliable car brands 2025

1. MG

Reliability rating 88.9%

Although last year’s lowest-ranking brand, MG, has improved significantly on its previous 76.9% score, it still receives the wooden spoon. Owners told us that 28% of their cars had a glitch, with non-engine electrics, including the sat-nav/infotainment system, the main culprits. Four out of five cars remained drivable and MG fixed 30% of them in a day or less, but that left 56% of owners waiting more than a week to get their car back. The good news is that the brand covered 95% of repair bills.  

At model level, petrol versions of the HS let the side down with a score of 87.9%, along with the MG 3 plug-in hybrid (also 87.9%) and the MG ZS EV with 81.8%. However, the MG5 gained a respectable 94.1%.

Read our MG reviews >

2. Nissan

Reliability rating 89.9%

Nissan wasn't far behind MG, with the 2019-2025 Juke’s dire showing helping to drag down the brand's score. A combination of slow repairs and some huge repair bills also placed petrol versions of the Juke at the bottom of the chart for small SUVs. The Ariya electric SUV also struggled, with a 39% fault rate and 56% of those cars rendered undrivable by problems. 

The brand also has a lower than average rate of paying for repairs - only 79% of cars were fixed for free, and 15% of faults cost more than £1500 to correct, according to owners. 

One model bucks this trend, though. The 2018-2024 Leaf has consistently posted high scores in our annual survey. Fifteen percent of the Leafs we were told about this time went wrong, and two-thirds of affected cars were back out of the garage within a day. 

Read our Nissan reviews >

3. Fiat

Reliability rating 90.1%

Fiat finished 11 places behind its Italian sister brand, Alfa Romeo, this year, because faults were more serious and stopped more cars from being driven. Only 7% of problematic Alfas couldn't be driven, but that figure rose to 16% for Fiat.  

Overall, 24% of the Fiat models reported on had an issue, but the car maker stumped up for the repairs on all of them. Nearly three-quarters of affected cars were put right in a day or less. 

We only have enough data to report on two Fiat models: the 2008-2025 500 petrol and 500 Electric. The petrol 500 scored a respectable 97.9%, but the electric model only achieved 91.9%.  

Read our Fiat reviews >

4. Jaguar 

Reliability rating 90.2%

While most Jaguar models have been average for reliability, the electric 2018-2024 I-Pace scores a lowly 86.0% because it suffered a high incidence of issues with its EV battery pack and motor. 

The star performer of the brand was the used-only XE executive saloon, which scored 95.7%, and the XF and F-Pace weren't far behind.  

At brand level, 28% of cars went wrong, and although Jaguar paid for 95% of bills, that left a small percentage of owners with bills of more than £1500. Nearly half of cars with problems were out of action for more than a week.

Read our Jaguar reviews >

5. Land Rover

Reliability rating 90.4%

Land Rover has improved its standing in our reliability chart this year, achieving more than 90% for the first time. Some models have done pretty well, while others have been dogged by faults. 

The 2014-2022 Range Rover Sport was the highest rated model with 94.9%, followed by the Land Rover Defender with a respectable score of 94.7% and the Range Rover on 94.6%. The poor scorers were the Discovery (81.8%) and Discovery Sport (84.9%). 

Although Land Rover coughed up for 94% of remedial work, some owners were faced with bills of £1500 or more, and half of faulty cars were out of action for more than seven days. 

Read our Land Rover reviews >

=6. Ford

Reliability rating 90.5%

Ford’s score and standing in our dependability chart has slipped from mid-way up the chart to sixth from the bottom this year, with Focus and Kuga PHEV owners reporting high volumes of faults, many of them with the 12-volt battery.  The used-only Fiesta looks far more durable with a rating of 95.2% and fewer faults than its larger siblings. 

Overall, 26% of the Ford models we were told about had an issue and, although 70% could still be driven, 37% were in the garage for more than a week. Ford paid for 96% of repairs, and the remaining bills were all below £300. 

Read our Ford reviews >

=6. Volkswagen

Reliability rating 90.5%

Although Volkswagen has upped its game with most petrol models this year, its electric vehicles are still plagued with problems. Its worst scorer is the  ID 4, with a rating of 79.6% and 36% of the examples we were told about having problems. The smaller ID 3 isn't much better, with a rating of 87.7% and 33% fault rate. In contrast, the T-Roc gained 99.0% and the T-Cross 98.0%, both with low percentages of problems. 

Twenty-four percent of Volkswagens went wrong overall, and the car maker only covered the costs for 89% of issues, leaving some owners with bills exceeding £1500 per fault.  Repairs weren't always swift, either; 43% of cars were out of action for more than a week. 

Read our Volkswagen reviews >

=8. Audi

Reliability rating 90.6%

Audi is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to dependability. The Audi Q2 is the fourth highest scoring small SUV, with a 98.5% rating and fault rate of 10%, but the Audi Q7 is the least dependable seven-seater and luxury car, with a rating of 78.6% and 47% fault rate. The 2019-2022 Audi E-tron also let the side down, with a score of 84.4% and a fault rate of 29%. 

The brand’s fault rate is fairly high overall, at 29%, and nearly half of the faulty cars took more than a week to fix. At least Audi covered the cost of 96% of repair work.

Read our Audi reviews >

=8. Mercedes

Reliability rating 90.6%

While most Mercedes models rate pretty well for reliability, there are some that let the side down. Worst of all is the latest C-Class, which has suffered with far more faults than the previous version: 43% of those reported on went wrong, compared with 23% for the 2014-2021 generation. The GLE doesn't fare well either - it is the third lowest scoring luxury car with a rating of 82.0%. However, the E-Class looks far more dependable with a rating of 97.3% and a fault rate of 16%. 

The brand's fault rate of 28% is fairly high, but at least Mercedes covered the cost of 98% of all remedial work. A third of cars were fixed in a day or less, but 39% spent more than a week in the workshop. 

Read our Mercedes reviews >

10. Volvo

Reliability rating 90.9%

Volvo has dropped from 12th place last year to 21st this year, partly due to the high fault rates of its V60 and V90 estate models: 44% of the smaller V60 went wrong, and 47% of V90s. Electrical issues, including problems with the sat-nav/infotainment system, were the most common complaints from the 28% of owners who told us their cars had gone wrong. 

The good news is that most faulty Volvo models were fixed for free, and a third were back on the road in a day or less. 

Read our Volvo reviews >

Brand reliability for cars aged up to five years old

How the survey was conducted

The What Car? Reliability Survey is open for responses from all drivers and car owners for six months, and it is sent out to whatcar.com readers and those who read What Car? magazine.

Anyone who reports a fault on their car in the previous 24 months is asked to rate the seriousness of the issue by telling us how much it cost to repair and how long it kept the car out of action. We also ask what area of the car was involved, giving people 16 different categories to choose from. 

The data on cost of repairs and time off the road is collated for each model to create a unique reliability rating, and this is used to rank cars. The latest survey gained 29,697 responses and that enabled us to report on 199 models up to five years old from 31 different brands.

To read the reliability data for other car classes follow these links:

Most reliable cars (2025)
Most reliable small cars (2024)
Most reliable family cars (2024)
Most reliable executive cars (2024)
Most reliable luxury cars (2024)
Most reliable small SUVs (2024)
Most reliable family SUVs (2024)
Most reliable large SUVs (2024)
Most reliable seven-seaters (2024)
Most reliable electric cars (2024)
Most reliable electric SUVs (2024)
Most reliable sports cars (2024)
Most reliable diesel cars (2024)
Most reliable petrol cars (2024)
Most reliable hybrid cars (2024)

About the author

Claire Evans has been a motoring journalist for more than 30 years with a focus on consumer issues for much of that time. She was the advice columnist for Carweek magazine in the 1990s, and also spent six years working on motoring content for Which?.

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.

Read more: Most and least reliable cars 2025 >>

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