A joint survey by What Car? and Warranty Direct has revealed that Honda makes the most reliable used cars – while the German premium brands prove to be the least reliable.
It is the 8th time in a row Honda has topped the list, proving yet again just how reliable their cars are once the warranty runs out. It was a win for car manufacturers from the far east overall, as they featured in eight of the top ten slots, with only Chevrolet (7) and Ford (10) mixing up the geographical distribution of the top 10.
In total, 38 manufacturers were included in the research, covering over 50,000 cars between three and eight years old. The results were calculated with each manufacturer receiving a reliability index based on the number of breakdowns, average repair costs and repair time.
The average reliability score across the 38 manufacturers was 152 while the average repair cost was £373.05– the cheapest was Hyundai, with an average repair cost of just £252.95.
Despite premium German manufacturers often being known for their rugged build quality and reliability, the results showed Volkswagen (19), BMW (26), Mercedes-Benz (30), Audi (31) and Porsche (36) all performing below expectations.
Luxury car-maker Bentley came in last place, perhaps surprisingly, with 86% of their cars expected to run into problems each year. With a score of 482, they were a full 157 points behind of the second least reliable manufacturer, Land Rover!
View the full results of the survey below.
| Rank | Manufacturer | Reliability Score | Average Repair Costs | Average Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honda | 39 | £356.46 | 43,916 |
| 2 | Suzuki | 46 | £258.03 | 36,094 |
| 3 | Hyundai | 63 | £252.95 | 48,162 |
| 4 | Subaru | 63 | £300.40 | 50,803 |
| 5 | Toyota | 70 | £392.40 | 44,231 |
| 6 | Lexus | 81 | £432.47 | 47,610 |
| 7 | Chevrolet | 88 | £259.20 | 33,590 |
| 8 | Mitsubishi | 89 | £422.56 | 46,543 |
| 9= | Ford | 94 | £296.49 | 47,298 |
| 9= | Mazda | 94 | £441.33 | 42,831 |
| 11 | Nissan | 96 | £369.80 | 44,702 |
| 12 | Fiat | 97 | £272.67 | 39,141 |
| 13= | Citroën | 101 | £308.64 | 43,954 |
| 13= | Skoda | 101 | £319.29 | 45,134 |
| 15 | Peugeot | 105 | £285.96 | 44,730 |
| 16 | Daewoo | 117 | £337.40 | 34,847 |
| 17 | Smart | 118 | £300.32 | 32,804 |
| 18 | Kia | 119 | £389.96 | 44,134 |
| 19 | SEAT | 126 | £293.58 | 47,256 |
| 20 | Vauxhall | 127 | £310.24 | 47,208 |
| 21 | Volkswagen | 135 | £336.30 | 49,192 |
| 22 | MINI | 138 | £385.57 | 38,094 |
| 23 | Renault | 142 | £266.32 | 44,276 |
| 24 | Rover | 151 | £379.23 | 40,281 |
| 25 | Saab | 168 | £319.70 | 51,370 |
| 26= | BMW | 173 | £427.32 | 51,521 |
| 26= | Volvo | 173 | £403.85 | 54,597 |
| 28 | MG | 183 | £406.46 | 34,301 |
| 29 | Jaguar | 185 | £436.19 | 45,876 |
| 30 | Mercedes-Benz | 219 | £468.32 | 48,961 |
| 31 | Audi | 230 | £525.49 | 52,963 |
| 32 | Jeep | 232 | £430.02 | 47,357 |
| 33 | Chrysler | 246 | £403.15 | 49,367 |
| 34 | SsangYong | 247 | £387.78 | 43,782 |
| 35 | Alfa Romeo | 251 | £385.54 | 47,095 |
| 36 | Porsche | 270 | £616.22 | 36,654 |
| 37 | Land Rover | 325 | £437.91 | 52,733 |
| 38 | Bentley | 482 | £560.27 | 35,494 |
| Average | 152.2105263 | £373.05 | 44,445 |
Luckily, Arnold Clark has great deals on used Honda, Hyundai and Toyota vehicles - and those of you who run into bother can visit your local Service Department for a quality, great value repair job. Fingers crossed you don't need it.