44 April 2020 whatcar.com
ADVICE
HondaCR-V(2012-2018)Reliabilityrating95.9%
TheCR-VisanotherlargeSUVthat’sageingwell;only12%of
carssufferedafaultandtheonlyseriousproblemareawasthe
gearbox.Allofthecarscouldstillbedrivenandwerefixedinless
thanaweek;morethanhalfwerefixedunderwarrantyandno
repairbillsexceeded£500.
RangeRoverSport(2014on)Reliabilityrating94.4%
Here,we’relookingattheveryearliestversionsofthelatestRange
RoverSport,andownerstoldusthatonly8%ofcarshadproblems
withtheirsuspension.Allcarsremaineddriveableandwererepaired
thesameday,althoughbillsrangedfrom£1000to£1500.
ToyotaAurisHybrid(2013on)Reliabilityrating98.5%
TheAurisHybridisalmostasdurableastheLexusCTastheyears
pileon.Amere6%ofownersreportedafaultwiththeircarand
theonlyareaconcernedwasthebattery.Thefaultswerefixedfor
freeinlessthanaday.
LexusRX(2009-2016)Reliabilityrating97.7%
Just4%ofprevious-generationRXownerstoldustheircarhadgone
wrong,andtheonlyproblemareawastheexhaustsystem.Allcars
couldstillbedrivenandwerefixedinlessthanaweek;repairbills
rangedfrom£301to£500.
Land Rover Discovery (2004-2017) Reliability rating 60.2%
Owners told us 36% of previous-generation Discoverys went wrong,
with engine and suspension issues the most common ailments,
followed by the brakes and battery. A third of cars were out of action
for more than a week, and while some costs were covered by the
warranty, some owners paid out more than £1500.
Hyundai Santa Fe (2006-2012) Reliability rating 61.6%
According to owners, 40% of Santa Fes went wrong, with engine
electrics being the biggest cause for concern, followed by the engine,
exhaust and fuel systems. Nearly half of cars couldn’t be driven and
took more than a week to fix. While some repairs were done for free,
some cost more than £1500.
Toyota Prius (2009-2015) Reliability rating 92.8%
Just 4% of Prius owners said their car went wrong, with trouble
spots centred on the battery, engine and fuel system. Some of the
cars were off the road for up to a week, and repair bills ranged from
£101 to £750.
Lexus IS (2013 on) Reliability rating 96.6%
As with the Leaf and Prius, the IS is actually a very reliable car,
even if it isn’t perfect. Only 7% of IS owners reported a fault, and
the only areas affected were the wheels and tyres. All of the cars
could still be driven and were fixed the same day for a cost of
between £301 and £500.
Large & luxury SUVs Electric cars & hybrids
Toyota RAV4 (2013-2019)
What went wrong?
Brakes7%
Lexus CT (2011 on)
What went wrong?
Battery4%
BMW X5 (2007-2013)
Whatwentwrong?
Battery20%Suspension20%Brakes15%
Air-con10%Engine5%Engineelectrics5%
Non-engineelectrics5%Steering5%
NissanLeaf (2011-2018)
Whatwentwrong?
Brakes8%Suspension8%
LEASTRELIABLE LEASTRELIABLE
MOST RELIABLE MOST RELIABLE
RELIABILITY
RATING
97.6%
RELIABILITY
RATING
99.5%
RELIABILITY
RATING
54.5%
RELIABILITY
RATING
90.8%
Owner comment
“It’s a very reliable car with
decent performance and
lots of equipment inside”
Owner comment
“The thing I like best about my
CT is its reliability; it’s had no
breakdowns or big problems”
Owner comment
“We’ve had problems with the
infotainment and connectivity,
and running costs are high”
Owner comment
“The things I like best about
the Leaf are its reliability and
how cheap it is to run”
THE RAV4 IS the most
dependable large SUV when
it’s less than five years old, and
older versions of the same
generation remain almost
as problem-free. Only 7% of
cars had a fault and the only
components affected were
the brakes. All cars could still
be driven and were fixed the
same day, with costs ranging
from £101 to £200.
THE CT MAY not be the most
exciting car to drive, but it
definitely is one of the most
dependable. In our charts for
newer cars up to five years old,
it scored a perfect 100% for
reliability, and it hardly dips
from this as it gets older. Only
4% of cars had a problem and
all were related to the battery.
All of the troubled cars were
fixed the same day for free.
PROBLEMS ARE RIFE on the
second-generation X5, with
45% of cars going wrong.
Suspension and battery issues
were the most common
complaints, followed by
air-con and brakes. Most cars
were fixed the same day, and
although a small percentage
were covered by warranty,
most bills were more than
£201 and some were £1500.
ALTHOUGH THE LEAF is at the
bottom of the chart, it isn’t
unreliable; it just isn’t quite
as bulletproof as those at the
top. Only 8% of these original
Leafs had a problem, and the
only areas concerned were
the brakes and suspension.
All cars could still be driven
and were fixed in less than a
week, with bills ranging from
£301 to £750.