42 April 2020 whatcar.com
ADVICE
ToyotaAuris(2007-2013)Reliabilityrating94.7%
Only14%ofAurisownerssaidtheircarhadsufferedafault,with
thefuelsystembeingthemostfrequentlycitedarea,followedby
bodywork,brakesandnon-engineelectrics.Allofthefaultycars
couldstillbedrivenandwereoutofthegaragethesameday,while
three-quartersoftherepairsweredoneforfree,withnoneof
thebillstopping£100.
Hyundaii30(2012-2017)Reliabilityrating83.5%
Ownersreportedthat19%ofi30shadproblems,withthemajority
ofthembeingtodowiththebrakes,followedbyissueswithengines
andtheirelectrics,aswellasgearboxes.Fortunately,mostofthose
carscouldstillbedriven,two-thirdsoftheworkwasdoneunder
warrantyandnobillsexceeded£500.
BMW3 Seriespetrol(2012-2019)Reliabilityrating90.9%
Almost25%ofpetrol-engined 3 Serieshadanissue,althoughmost
wereminorissueswithnon-engineelectricalsystemsandthe
sat-nav.Althoughmostofthecarscouldstillbedriven,theyspent
uptoaweekinthegarage.Halfwerefixedforfree,though,andno
repairbillsexceeded£200.
HondaAccord(2008-2015)Reliabilityrating89.9%
Accordownerstoldus22%oftheircarshadsufferedaproblem;
theexhaustsystemwasthemostcommonculprit,followedbythe
batteryandsuspension.However,allcarscouldstillbedrivenand
halfwerefixedthesameday.Two-thirdsofbillswerebelow£300,
althoughsomewereupto£1000.
Ford Focus diesel (2004-2011) Reliability rating 46.5%
Owners told us that diesel Focus models suffered almost twice as
many faults as petrols; 50% had a problem, compared with 29% of
petrols. Worryingly, the engine and its electrics each accounted for
14% of issues. The battery, brakes, exhaust and suspension were also
problematic. Around half of cars couldn’t be driven, and although
most bills didn’t exceed £200, some were more than £1500.
Volkswagen Golf diesel (2003-2009) Reliability rating 59.4%
A hefty 36% of diesel Golfs had at least one fault. The areas concerned
were diverse, ranging from the air conditioning system, battery and
brakes to engine electrics and suspension. Around a quarter of the
cars were rendered undriveable, and although most of the repairs
cost less than £500, some topped £1500.
Mazda 6 (2007-2012) Reliability rating 59.8%
Owners reported that 28% of Mazda 6s suffered a problem, with the
brakes being the most prevalent, followed by the engine and interior
trim. That might not sound too bad, but nearly half of cars were
rendered undriveable and took more than a week to repair, and a
third of bills cost more than £1500.
Hyundai i40 (2012 on) Reliability rating 61.2%
It’s unusual to find a Hyundai near the bottom of a reliability league,
but a staggering 58% of i40s suffered a fault and a third of them were
with the gearbox. There were also issues with the air conditioning
systems, battery, brakes and suspension. Most cars remained
driveable and more than a third were fixed for free; some owners
paid out £1500 or more, though.
Family cars Executive car
Honda Civic (2012-2017)
What went wrong? Battery 2% Bodywork
2%Engineelectrics2%Interiortrim2%
Toyota Avensis (2009-2015)
What went wrong? Battery 3% Brakes 3%
Fuelsystem3%Gearbox3%Interiortrim3%
Audi A3 diesel (2003-2013)
Whatwentwrong?
Engine22%Non-engineelectrics19%
Bodywork15%Brakes11%
Engineelectrics11%Suspension11%
Gearbox7%Air-con4%Exhaust4%
BMW 3 Series (2005-2012)
Whatwentwrong?
Brakes23%Engine19%Exhaust13%
Air-con10%Battery7%Bodywork7%
Engineelectrics7%Gearbox7%
Interiortrim3%Suspension3%
LEASTRELIABLE LEASTRELIABLE
MOST RELIABLE MOST RELIABLE
RELIABILITY
RATING
97.8%
RELIABILITY
RATING
92.0%
RELIABILITY
RATING
40.0%
RELIABILITY
RATING
50.4%
Owner comment
“It’s well made, has lots of
equipment and is bomb-proof
when it comes to reliability”
Owner comment
“I’ve had the car since 2011
and it’s only had one fault that
was xed under warranty”
Owner comment
“Repair bills have put a £6k
hole in my bank account in
the past year”
Owner comment
“Most components around the
engine are unreliable; so many
things can, and do, go wrong”
JUST 4% OF Civics had an issue,
according to owners, and most
of the areas concerned were
minor. Most problems were
sorted out the same day and
more than half of work was
done for free under warranty;
where owners did pay, repair
bills ranged from £101 to £300.
ALTHOUGH 17% OF owners
told us something had gone
wrong with their Avensis, the
problem areas were mostly
minor. Most of the afflicted
cars could still be driven and
were repaired in less than a
week. Half of them were fixed
for free, but some owners paid
up to £1000.
DIESEL CARS TAKE the bottom
three slots in this class. More
than a third (37%) of diesel
A3s had a fault, and 22% of
them were with the engine –
a serious area. Other problem
areas included bodywork,
brakes, engine and non-engine
electrics and suspension. Most
cars could still be driven, but
around a third of bills ranged
from £500 to £1500.
THE OLDER 3 SERIES is proving
less durable than the newer
model, with 58% of cars
afflicted by a fault. Although
brake issues were the most
common complaint, engine
problems weren’t far behind.
Although three-quarters of
the cars could still be driven,
a quarter of them cost £1500
or more to put right.