What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

whatcar.com^ April 2020 43

Mercedes-BenzE-Class(2009-2016)Reliabilityrating82.3%

Ownersreportedthat26%ofE-Classeshadaproblem,withthe

areasaffectedincludingtheair-con,batteryandengine.Mostcars

remaineddriveableandwerefixedinlessthanaweek,andwhilethe

majorityofbillswerelessthan£300,somewereatleast£1500.

AudiA6(2011-2018)Reliabilityrating82.2%

Fewer(21%)A6swentwrongthanE-Classes(above),buttheAudiwas

ratedlowerbecausemorethanhalfofthefaultycarsrequiredmore

thanaweektorepair.Gearboxissueswerethemostcommonfault,

affecting7%ofcars,followedbyair-conandnon-engineelectrics.

Somecarswerefixedunderwarrantyandonlyafewownershadto

shellout£1500ormore.

BMWX1(2009-2015)Reliabilityrating95.6%

Only8%ofX1shadaproblemthatrelatedtoeitherthebrakesor

gearbox.Whileallcarsremaineddriveable,sometookmorethana

weektoputright,andrepairbillsrangedfrom£201to£750.

NissanJuke(2010-2019)Reliabilityrating93.9%

ThelittleJukeisafarmoredependablechoicethanthelarger

Qashqai.Ownerssaid18%ofcarshadaproblemaffecting

air-con,batteryandbrakesinequalmeasure.Allofthecarscould

stillbedrivenandmostwererepairedthesameday,withcosts

rangingfrom£51to£300.

BMW 5 Series (2004-2010) Reliability rating 69.1%

The older 5 Series is less dependable than the newer version. Around

39% of cars had a problem; the most frequently cited area was

suspension, followed by non-engine electrics, then the bodywork

and engine. Most cars were back on the road within a week, but the

majority of repairs cost between £500 and £1500.

BMW 5 Series (2010-2017) Reliability rating 75.5%

We were told that 37% of these newer 5 Series suffered faults. As

with the older model (above), the main trouble spot proved to be

the suspension, on 14% of cars in this case. Other areas with issues

included the engine, exhaust and non-engine electrics. Not all cars

could still be driven and most took up to a week to fix. While a third

of repairs were done for free, nearly a third cost £1500 or more.

Nissan Qashqai diesel (2014 on) Reliability rating 78.8%

The latest Qashqai isn’t proving much better than the older version

for reliability; we have data for diesel models only, and owners

told us 44% of them went wrong. Air-con was the biggest bugbear,

followed by battery issues. Although all of the faulty cars could still

be driven and some were fixed under warranty, more than half cost

between £300 and £750.

Volkswagen Tiguan (2007-2016) Reliability rating 78.8%

The previous-generation Tiguan definitely has its issues; owners

reported faults on 36% of cars. The exhaust was the most commonly

cited area, followed by suspension, the fuel system and non-engine

electrics. A third of cars couldn’t be driven, and although some

repairs were done for free, some owners paid out £500-£1500.

Luxury car Small & family SUVs

Jaguar XJ (2010 on)

What went wrong?

Non-engineelectrics6%

Skoda Yeti diesel (2009-2017)

What went wrong?

Air-con 3% Bodywork 3% Exhaust system 3%

Audi A6(2004-2011)

Whatwentwrong?

Non-engineelectrics13%Air-con10%

Engine10%Battery7%Brakes 7 %

Exhaustsystem7%Fuelsystem7%Sat-nav7%

Suspension7%Engineelectrics3%Gearbox3%

Nissan Qashqai (2007-2013)

Whatwentwrong?

Battery10%Brakes8%Air-con4%

Engineelectrics4%Gearbox4%

Non-engineelectrics4%Bodywork2%Engine2%

Fuelsystem2%Sat-nav2%Steering2%Suspension2%

LEASTRELIABLE LEASTRELIABLE

MOST RELIABLE MOST RELIABLE

RELIABILITY

RATING

94.9%

RELIABILITY

RATING

96.0%

RELIABILITY

RATING

52.0%

RELIABILITY

RATING

75.2%

Owner comment

“Look after it and it will last

forever; I sold my last one after

six years and 217,000 miles”

Owner comment

“It’s well built; it’s passed

three MOT tests without

needing any remedial work”

Owner comment

“Repair costs over the past

three years have amounted

to more than £5000”

Owner comment

“It’s a roomy family car, but far

too much has gone wrong in

the year since we bought it”

ACCORDING TO OWNERS,

just 6% of XJs suffered a fault

and the only area to have an

issue was non-engine electrics.

Affected cars could not be

driven and took up to a week

to fix, with the cost ranging

from £750 to £1000.

THE DIESEL YETI suffered

nearly three times fewer faults

than its petrol counterpart:

8% versus 29%. Diesel

afflictions were less serious,

too, encompassing air-con,

bodywork and exhaust issues,

rather than the engine

and gearbox woes of petrol

Yetis. Most cars could still

be driven and repair bills

ranged from £50 to £750.

Just over half (52%) of these

older A6s went wrong, and

although electrical problems

were the most common

complaint, engine and

air-con faults weren’t far

behind. In fact, there were

issues in almost all of our

fault categories. Half of cars

lingered in the garage for more

than a week and half of owners

paid out £1000-£1500.

NEARLY A THIRD (32%) of

Qashqais suffered a fault

across a wide range of areas,

with the battery and brakes

the most frequently cited.

Some cars were put right the

same day, but others spent

more than a week in the

garage. While a small number

were fixed for free, most cost

a few hundred pounds and

some more than £1500.

Used car reliability