Slideshow
What Car? Reliability Survey: Most and least reliable family cars
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 family cars in the UK
Claire Evans
Updated: 10 December 2024
What Car? Reliability Survey: Most and least reliable family cars
Family hatchbacks are the bread and butter of the car world. They remain popular with private buyers and company car drivers alike, despite the rise in demand for SUVs.
That means there are plenty of used examples to choose from, but as our Reliability Survey data shows, not all family cars will provide problem-free motoring. In fact, this class had the one of the lowest average score of all the classes in this year's survey, with a score of 91.1% for cars aged up to five years old.
How we compiled the survey
The latest What Car? Reliability Survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, is the result of a massive data-crunching exercise. We gathered ownership information from 21,732 motorists, by asking them to tell us about any faults their cars had suffered in the previous 24 months.
For every car that went wrong, we asked how much it cost to repair and how long it was off the road – using these two pieces of information we created reliability ratings for 199 models from 31 brands.
To add more detail for each model and warn potential buyers about common faults, we also noted where the faults occurred, asking owners to choose from one of 14 different component areas. This year for the first time we also asked electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrids (PHEV) owners to tell us about any issues with the batteries and motors of their vehicles.
For this story, we've pulled out all the data is for family cars aged up to five years old.
The 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey is live, tell us about your car now
advertisement
scroll for more
10: Ford Focus petrol (2018-present)
Reliability rating 94.9%
Pick a petrol model if you're after a reliable Focus: petrol models have a 9% fault rate compared with 33% for diesels. Problem areas included the 12-volt battery, bodywork and non-engine electrical systems including the sat-nav/infotainment system. All faulty cars could still be driven, but 53% spent more than a week in the workshop. At least all remedial work was done for free.
9: Mini Clubman (2015-2024)
Reliability rating 95.5%
The bodywork was the only area that gave Countryman owners any cause for concern, with 15% of them saying they'd had problems. While all cars were fixed in less than a week, two thirds of them in a day or less, Mini wasn't up there with the best brands for covering the cost of repairs. Mini paid for 33% of remedial work, but owners whose cars weren't fixed for free were asked to pay between £50 and £500.
8: Kia XCeed (2019-present)
Reliability rating 95.6%
Bodywork issues were the main complaint from the 21% of XCeed owners who reported a fault with their car. There were also some concerns about the 12-volt battery and sat-nav/infotainment system. All cars were fixed in less than a week, a third of them were rectified in a day or less. While Kia paid for the work on 67% of cars, the remaining owners were asked for up to £200 to get their cars fixed.
7: Citroen C4 (2020-present)
Reliability rating 96.2%
Electrical issues, including problems with the air-con and sat-nav/infotainment system were the main headaches for Citroen C4 owners. Seventeen percent of the C4s reported on went wrong and half of them took more than a week to put right. No owners were left out of pocket, though, as all remedial work was done for free.
6: Toyota Corolla (2018-present)
Reliability rating 96.4%
Electrical and bodywork issues and problems with the 12-volt battery were the main bugbears of the 15% of Corolla owners who told us their car had gone wrong. They told us that 84% of cars were fixed for free and none of the remaining bills exceeded £200. The primary disappointment is that nearly a third of cars were rendered undriveable by faults and 28% were out of action for more than a week.
5: Hyundai Ioniq hybrid (2016-2022)
Reliability rating 96.5%
Hybrid versions of the Ioniq appear to be more robust than electric ones: 20% of Ioniq hybrids went wrong, but 47% of electric models had a problem. The bodywork, brake system and sat-nav/infotainment system were the main headaches for hybrid owners. The good news is that 75% of cars were fixed in a day or less, Hyundai paid for 88% of repairs, and those who had to pay weren't asked for more than £200 each.
4: Honda Civic (2022-present)
Reliability rating 97.6%
The latest Honda Civic has suffered with far fewer faults than its predecessor, according to owners: 8% of new models went wrong, compared with 27 of previous generation examples. Issues with the steering system were the only area they highlighted. Although Honda covered the cost of all repairs, all faulty cars were off the road for more than a week.
3: BMW 1 Series (2019-2024)
Reliability rating 98.6%
Don’t discount the 1 Series because it’s BMW’s cheapest model; the recently replaced version of it is also the brand's most dependable. Only 8% of owners encountered hiccups, with mainly non-engine electrical gremlins. All cars remained driveable, and two-thirds were fixed in less than a week. Eighty-three percent of repairs were done gratis; 17% of owners paid up to £100.
2: Mercedes A-Class hybrid (2018-present)
Reliability rating 98.7%
Hybrid versions of the A-Class go wrong less often than petrols (11% versus 21%), and when they do, they’re quicker and cheaper to fix. All faulty hybrids were fixed for free in a day or less, whereas some petrol cars cost up to £300 and took more than a week to put right.
1: Skoda Octavia petrol (2013-2020)
Reliability rating 99.3%
What went wrong? Fuel system 6%
Petrol versions of the previous-generation Octavia gain a near-perfect reliability rating. This makes it a much better bet than the latest version (see below), with just 6% suffering glitches. All issues were inconsequential, too, because they didn’t cause any breakdowns and were put right in less than a day. Plus, all work was done for free.
Owner’s view: “I love my Octavia’s dependability; it never lets me down.”
Least reliable family cars - 3: Skoda Octavia (2020-present)
Reliability rating 80.3%
Issues with non-engine electrical systems, in particular sat-nav/infotainment, blighted the latest Octavia, accounting for 52% of all reported faults. Overall, 35% of cars had a problem; most could still be driven, but 52% were out of action for more than a week. Skoda stumped up for 97% of repairs, though.
Least reliable family cars - 2: Seat Leon (2020-present)
Reliability rating 74.2%
What went wrong? Sat-nav/infotainment 44%, non-engine electrics 22%, bodywork and interior trim 11%, engine electrics 7%, gearbox/clutch 7%, battery 4%
A high fault rate puts the Leon in the bottom three: 58% of the cars reported on went wrong, most with sat-nav/infotainment problems. These were slow to resolve, with 62% of cars sitting in workshops for more than a week. However, Seat covered the cost of 97% of fixes, easing some of the pain.
Least reliable family cars - 1: Volkswagen Golf diesel (2020-present)
Reliability rating 70.4%
What went wrong? Gearbox/clutch 11%, sat-nav/infotainment 11%, non-engine electrics 11%, air-con 8%, bodywork 8%, brakes 5%, engine 5%, 12-volt battery 3%, engine electrics 3%, exhaust 3%, fuel system 3%
The current Golf has been plagued by issues with infotainment and other electrical systems, with diesels also suffering gearbox glitches. Thirty percent went wrong, a third taking at least a week to fix. Only 41% were fixed for free; 11% of owners faced bills of £1000 or more.
Owner's comment: "A lot of the electrical technology has been very unreliable and took several updates to work properly."
advertisement
scroll for more
News and advice
News
2027 Volvo XC40: styling tweaks and new interior tech for £38k
Sponsored
Best used large SUVs for less than £20,000
Feature
Volkswagen T-Cross long-term test
News
Polestar Formula 2030 concept revealed: bold sports car previews future styling
News
UK Government could water down electric car sales targets this week
News
