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Britain’s 50 most reliable used cars have been revealed using the latest research from leading consumer champion, What Car?, in association with heycar, the online used car marketplace.
In the listings, the three top performing cars all achieved a perfect 100% reliability rating. They are the previous-generation versions of the Honda Jazz and Toyota RAV4, plus the current Lexus RX.
Japanese and Korean brands accounted for seven of the Top 10, including four models from Toyota and its luxury division Lexus, and two from Hyundai.
The reliability ratings are based on data supplied by nearly 13,000 owners who took part in the annual What Car? Reliability Survey, with each person asked if their vehicle had experienced a fault in the past 12 months, what area was affected, how much each fault cost to repair and how long the vehicle was off the road.
Only cars up to eight years old were considered, because these account for more than half of all used car purchases.
Across all models in the top 50, 21% of owners reported a fault, with non-engine electrical gremlins the most common problem, followed by the engine and its electrical systems and the car’s bodywork. In 68% of cases the cost of repairs was covered under warranty, with 36% of all cars driveable and repaired in a day or less.
Britain’s Top 50 most reliable used cars
| =1 | Toyota RAV4 (2013 – 2019) | 100.0% |
| =1 | Lexus RX Hybrid (2016 – present) | 100.0% |
| =1 | Honda Jazz (2008 – 2015) | 100.0% |
| 4 | Toyota Yaris Hybrid (2011 – 2020) | 99.6% |
| 5 | Lexus NX Hybrid (2014 – present) | 99.3% |
| 6 | Dacia Duster (2018 – present) | 99.0% |
| =7 | Skoda Citigo (2012 – present) | 98.9% |
| =7 | Alfa Romeo Giulietta (2010 – present) | 98.9% |
| 9 | Hyundai i10 (2014 – 2020) | 98.8% |
| 10 | Hyundai i20 (2015 – present) | 98.6% |
| =11 | Mini Countryman (2017 – present) | 98.4% |
| =11 | Lexus IS Hybrid (2013 – present) | 98.4% |
| 13 | Lexus CT (2011 – present) | 98.3% |
| 14 | Toyota Corolla Hybrid (2018 – present) | 98.2% |
| 15 | BMW X1 petrol (2015 – present) | 98.1% |
| =16 | Volkswagen Up (2012 – present) | 98.0% |
| =16 | Skoda Superb petrol (2016 – present) | 98.0% |
| =16 | Mercedes-Benz GLA (2014 – 2020) | 98.0% |
| =16 | Mazda CX-3 (2016 – present) | 98.0% |
| =16 | Kia Picanto (2011 – 2017) | 98.0% |
| 21 | Skoda Karoq petrol (2017 – present) | 97.8% |
| 22 | Volvo XC40 petrol (2017 – present) | 97.7% |
| 23 | Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid (2017 – present) | 97.3% |
| =24 | Toyota Auris Hybrid (2013 – 2019) | 97.2% |
| =24 | Ford Mondeo (2014 – present) | 97.2% |
| 26 | Suzuki SX4 S-Cross (2013 – present) | 97.1% |
| =27 | Volkswagen Tiguan petrol (2016 – present) | 96.9% |
| =27 | Honda Jazz (2015 – present) | 96.9% |
| =27 | Alfa Romeo Giulia (2016 – present) | 96.9% |
| 30 | BMW 2 Series Coupe/Convertible (2014 – present) | 96.8% |
| =31 | Vauxhall Mokka petrol (2012 – 2019) | 96.7% |
| =31 | Skoda Fabia (2015 – present) | 96.7% |
| =31 | Lexus RX (2009 – 2016) | 96.7% |
| =31 | Jaguar I-Pace (2018 – present) | 96.7% |
| =35 | Mercedes E-Class (2009 – 2016) | 96.5% |
| =35 | Mazda 2 (2015 – present) | 96.5% |
| =37 | Mazda CX-5 petrol (2017 – present) | 96.4% |
| =37 | Ford Focus petrol (2018 – present) | 96.4% |
| =39 | Volvo XC40 diesel (2017 – present) | 96.3% |
| =39 | Skoda Karoq diesel (2017 – present) | 96.3% |
| 41 | Mazda 6 (2013 – present) | 96.2% |
| 42 | Ford C-Max (2011 – present) | 96.1% |
| 43 | Mini Hatchback petrol (2014 – present) | 96.0% |
| =44 | Skoda Octavia petrol (2013 – 2020) | 95.9% |
| =44 | Skoda Kodiaq petrol (2016 – present) | 95.9% |
| 46 | Seat Leon petrol (2013 – 2020) | 95.8% |
| =47 | Volkswagen T-Roc (2017 – present) | 95.7% |
| =47 | Porsche Macan petrol (2014 – present) | 95.7% |
| =49 | Renault Captur (2013 – 2019) | 95.6% |
| =49 | Audi Q5 (2018 – present) | 95.6% |
“Reliability is one of the key concerns for most used buyers, because an unreliable car can quickly turn into an unwelcome headache,” said Mark Pearson, What Car?’s Used Cars Editor.
“Fortunately, our top 50 list, combined with our online used car marketplace, takes the hassle out of finding a dependable secondhand car.”
