A new study from Warrantywise, the UK's leading extended car warranty provider, has revealed the Top 10 most and least most reliable used car brands and models according to its Reliability Index.
Using data from over 131,000 extended car warranty plans, the Reliability Index judges every car on things like the frequency of repairs and repair costs.
In what comes as no real surprise, Japanese manufacturers dominated the top of the list, locking out four of the top-five spots.
Honda topped the list overall with 89.38/100 on Warrantywise’s Reliability Index and average repairs costing just £538.59.
Lexus was second, helped by the RX which didn't record a single fault or repair – making it the most reliable individual model on the list.
Toyota and Suzuki locked out third and fourth respectively ahead of Dacia.
Outside the top five was Hyundai (sixth), Smart (seventh), Kia (eighth), Fiat (ninth9) and Renault (tenth)
"Warrantywise boasts one of the largest data samples when it comes to painting an accurate picture of the dependable – and not so dependable – used cars currently on the market," said Lawrence Whittaker, CEO of Warrantywise. "Our business continues to go from strength-to-strength as we are seeing a very noticeable upswing in the number of car buyers turning to pre-owned cars where they can get a high-specification vehicle for less.
"However, any savings on purchase price can be immediately off-set if a used car develops faults outside of manufacturer warranty and our Reliability Index continues to provide precise, quantifiable data on the best and worst-performing used cars on the market."
At the other end of the spectrum if was supercars and luxury cars that registered the worst scores.
Ferrari scored just 13.84/100 in the Reliability Index with an average repair cost of £4,913.46 and 36 repairs lodged out of 116 warranty plans in total (a 62 percent repair percentage). Faring slightly better was market rival McLaren (15.12/100) and by Rolls-Royce (26/100) which both logged a proportionally high number of high-cost repairs to reduce their scores. Bentley and Lamborghini completed the top five of worst offenders, ahead of Subaru, Chrysler, Maserati, Land Rover and Tesla.
When it came to individual models, the Bentley Continental GT was given the unenviable crown of the least reliable used car model according to the Warrantywise Reliability Index, with fuel system, electrical, and engine issues cropping up frequently. It recorded one of the most expensive Warrantywise repairs, an electrical issue which cost over £10,000 to repair. Average repair costs for the Bentley Continental GT were £2,298.97.
Top 10 Most Reliable Brands
Pos. | Make | Avg. | Avg. | Overall |
Mileage | Repair Cost | Score /100 | ||
1 | Honda | 56,752 | £538.59 | 89.38 |
2 | Lexus | 65,674 | £937.57 | 88.96 |
3 | Toyota | 54,196 | £596.44 | 87.02 |
4 | Suzuki | 41,291 | £580.86 | 81.83 |
5 | Dacia | 40,968 | £511.42 | 81.12 |
6 | Hyundai | 56,871 | £516.60 | 75.28 |
7 | Smart | 31,241 | £385.16 | 74.73 |
8 | Kia | 61,839 | £526.23 | 73.65 |
9 | Fiat | 45,199 | £529.91 | 72.01 |
10 | Renault | 59,679 | £574.46 | 67.82 |
Top 10 least reliable brands
Pos. | Make | Avg. | Avg. | Overall |
Mileage | Repair Cost | Score /100 | ||
1 | Ferrari | 19,068 | £4,913.46 | 13.84 |
2 | McLaren | 18,195 | £4,165.56 | 15.12 |
3 | Rolls-Royce | 37,569 | £2,771.53 | 26.00 |
4 | Bentley | 26,375 | £2,260.07 | 26.64 |
5 | Lamborghini | 11,966 | £2,709.40 | 30.84 |
6 | Subaru | 63,899 | £1,862.88 | 31.83 |
7 | Chrysler | 61,697 | £1,780.74 | 35.96 |
8 | Maserati | 28,541 | £1,635.21 | 44.99 |
9 | Land Rover | 55,463 | £1,268.96 | 45.27 |
10 | Tesla | 50,917 | £1,289.94 | 45.56 |
Top 10 most reliable used car models
POS. | Make | Model |
1 | Lexus | RX |
2 | Honda | Jazz |
3 | Mitsubishi | ASX |
4 | Dacia | Sandero |
5 | Mazda | 2 |
6 | Volkswagen | UP! |
7 | Nissan | LEAF |
8 | Lexus | CT |
9 | Ford | Ecosport |
10 | Suzuki | Alto |
Top 10 least reliable used car models
POS. | Make | Model |
1 | Bentley | Continental GT |
2 | Audi | A7 |
3 | BMW | X6 |
4 | Porsche | Cayenne |
5 | Chevrolet | Captiva |
6 | Land Rover | Range Rover Sport |
7 | Jaguar | XJ |
8 | Audi | Q7 |
9 | Mazda | CX5 |
10 | Land Rover | Range Rover |