What's the most reliable type of car?
Do gadget-laden luxury cars and high-tech hybrids suffer more faults than simple small hatchbacks? We reveal the most and least reliable car classes...
7. Family SUVs
Reliability rating 91.6%
The best performing family SUV was the Kia Sportage, with an excellent reliability rating of 98.6%.
Only 7% of Sportage owners reported a problem with their car, although some of those cars couldn't be driven and two-thirds were laid up for a week or more. Still, all the remedial work was performed for free.
At the other end of the scale, owners told us that 40% of 2011-2019 Range Rover Evoques went wrong, and the model had trouble in 13 of our 14 categories. Nearly half were off the road for more than a week and 10% were undriveable. Most work was carried out for free, but some cost owners from £101 to more than £1500.
See the full reliability chart for family SUVs >>
6. Executive cars
Reliability rating 91.8%
Even though executive cars are usually fitted with all the latest technology, there are plenty of models with a strong reliability record.
If dependability is your priority, the Hyundai i40 is an executive car you should consider. Only 10% of owners reported a fault, and the cars we were told about only suffered minor problems that were corrected under warranty. The only downside is that all of them took more than a week to fix.
In contrast, 36% of diesel Jaguar XEs suffered a fault; they had twice as many issues as petrol XEs. In fact, owners reported issues in every one of our 14 fault categories. Some 75% of cars could still be driven and most were fixed for free, but some brought bills ranging from £500 to more than £1500.
See the full reliability chart for executive cars >>
5. Coupés, convertibles and sports cars
Reliability rating 92.9%
Many of these cars are high-powered and laden with equipment, so there's plenty of scope for reliability issues. The best coupés, convertibles and sports cars spent very little time in the garage getting fixed, but the worst languished in workshops for more than a week while costly repairs were performed.
The BMW M4 is a dependable choice, with a Reliability rating of 99.3% and just 6% suffering a fault. The only area to cause owners grief was bodywork, and all cars were driveable and repaired within a day under warranty.
On the other hand, not all C-Class Coupés are a joy to live with. The model scored 83.8% and 28% of the cars we were told about suffered a fault. The biggest issues were with the gearbox/clutch and non-engine electrics. A quarter were out of action for more than a week, and while most work was done under warranty, some of it resulted in bills ranging from £1001 to £1500.
