2015’s most and least reliable cars revealed
Honda has been named the most reliable used car manufacturer for the ninth consecutive year following research by Warranty Direct and What Car?.
Six of the top ten car makers in the 37-strong list were Japanese (Suzuki, Toyota, Mazda, Lexus, Nissan) with Chevrolet, Ford, Skoda and Hyundai managing to secure a place as one of the ten best brands for reliability.
In contrast, Bentley was deemed the least reliable, and the list doesn’t make pleasant reading for the Volkswagen Group which owns three of the bottom four (Porsche and Audi being the other two) while Seat and Volkswagen floundered mid-table in 20th and 23rd place respectively.
Specifically, the Honda Jazz [pictured] and Mitsubishi Lancer were deemed to be the most reliable models while the least reliable was Audi’s RS6 [below], also one of the most costly to fix with average repair bill of £1,003.
The most expensive individual repair consisted of a £35k bill to a BMW, while Porsche models were the most costly repairs on average (£784). Suzuki models were the cheapest to repair (£256 on average).
Wrong choice
The list was compiled using data from Warranty Direct and What Car?, which takes into account a vehicle’s failure rate, age, mileage and cost of repair. The lower the Reliability Index number, the more trustworthy the car.
Understandably, Bentley wasn’t pleased and said the Warranty Direct survey was “not an accurate reflection of the Bentley ownership experience”.
A statement to What Car? read: “It fails to include any comparable high luxury brands as a benchmark. Due to the very high quality materials and components used throughout our vehicles, the cost of owning and maintaining a Bentley is never going to be directly comparable with the other cars in this survey.
“Bentley has such confidence in the reliability and build quality of its cars that it offers those customers wanting complete peace-of-mind a comprehensive and industry-leading three-year warranty on any Pre-Owned car up to 11 years old.”
Warranty Direct MD David Gerrans commented: “It is imperative that consumers research their intended purchases thoroughly before taking the plunge; the last thing people need is a car that costs them money they don’t have in unwanted bills.
“Not taking the time to look over something as easy to use as our Reliability Index could mean making the wrong choice and inadvertently landing yourself with a car that causes you nothing but hassle and a financial headache.”
The full Reliability Index:
Position | Make | Ave Mileage | RI | Average Cost (£) | Highest Cost (£) |
1 | Honda | 50,892.73 | 41 | 335.87 | 2,913.40 |
2 | Suzuki | 39,280.27 | 48 | 256.04 | 1,684.84 |
3 | Toyota | 50,641.03 | 66 | 378.22 | 5,020.00 |
4= | Chevrolet | 35,956.80 | 82 | 258.15 | 2,118.90 |
4= | Mazda | 47,649.48 | 82 | 398.42 | 4,546.94 |
6 | Ford | 53,214.21 | 85 | 289.74 | 8,014.33 |
7 | Lexus | 53,305.39 | 89 | 415.90 | 5,699.94 |
8 | Skoda | 50,675.24 | 90 | 292.84 | 3,854.76 |
9= | Hyundai | 53,281.01 | 94 | 318.54 | 4,637.66 |
9= | Nissan | 48,738.90 | 94 | 367.19 | 20,747.88 |
9= | Subaru | 56,991.20 | 94 | 456.75 | 3,933.45 |
12= | Daewoo | 40,148.60 | 97 | 263.82 | 1,170.37 |
12= | Peugeot | 49,787.60 | 97 | 284.62 | 4,975.00 |
14 | Fiat | 43,219.17 | 98 | 268.35 | 2,520.90 |
15 | Citroën | 48,805.54 | 105 | 311.58 | 4,026.40 |
16 | Smart | 37,672.35 | 108 | 291.75 | 2,544.00 |
17 | Mitsubishi | 52,882.69 | 109 | 456.29 | 4,832.59 |
18 | Kia | 49,608.72 | 114 | 390.01 | 4,056.00 |
19 | Vauxhall | 52,546.81 | 123 | 310.07 | 15,000.00 |
20 | Seat | 51,710.06 | 125 | 299.11 | 5,993.08 |
21 | Renault | 48,537.36 | 130 | 262.42 | 4,711.75 |
22 | Mini | 44,017.29 | 136 | 380.74 | 4,721.72 |
23 | Volkswagen | 54,982.88 | 137 | 345.94 | 5,657.38 |
24 | Rover | 44,873.26 | 150 | 362.73 | 3,217.40 |
25 | Volvo | 60,664.66 | 151 | 377.35 | 5,604.10 |
26 | Saab | 56,991.42 | 158 | 327.4 | 8,862.35 |
27 | Land Rover | 67,011.84 | 162 | 428.47 | 15,350.00 |
28= | BMW | 58,174.77 | 180 | 447.18 | 35,000.00 |
28= | MG | 38,370.18 | 180 | 401.96 | 3,901.46 |
30 | Jaguar | 50,879.61 | 185 | 419.57 | 9,347.00 |
31 | SsangYong | 49,884.41 | 211 | 431.55 | 2661.39 |
32 | Mercedes-Benz | 54,341.10 | 215 | 452.7 | 16,115.38 |
33 | Chrysler | 52,454.94 | 221 | 399.47 | 3,747.22 |
34 | Audi | 59,054.52 | 223 | 515.41 | 15,438.42 |
35 | Jeep | 52,582.81 | 227 | 439.89 | 3,694.00 |
36 | Porsche | 41,829.73 | 380 | 784.71 | 10,348.00 |
37 | Bentley | 38,113.59 | 637 | 678.5 | 8406.65 |