It’s often said that there’s no such thing as a ‘bad car’ nowadays. In a way, this is true. Almost a century and a half on from the invention of the automobile, most manufacturers have got things down to a fine art, consistently producing quality cars that do exactly what you tell them to do, when you tell them to do it.
But there are exceptions. Any device as complex as a car is likely to go wrong at some point, and despite manufacturers’ best efforts, breakdowns are always going to happen – no matter how well designed or how well maintained a vehicle is. The real question is this: which modern vehicles are the least likely to let you down?
We’re going to answer that question right here, covering the most reliable car brands available in the UK one by one. If reliability is a key consideration for your next car, you might want to read this…
The most reliable car brands in 2024
Taking into account studies from respected sources What Car? and Honest John, we’ve assembled a comprehensive list of the most dependable car manufacturers out there.
What Car?’s annual Reliability Survey is one of the industry’s most comprehensive, last year garnering responses from more than 20,000 motorists across the UK regarding 178 models from 32 brands. Honest John’s Satisfaction Index follows a similar formula, inviting motorists to share their real-world ownership experiences.
To create the following list, we’ve studied both surveys to get a clear picture of which manufacturers come out on top in the reliability stakes.
Lexus
It doesn’t matter which reliability survey you look at, Lexus will always appear somewhere near the top. Established as the luxury division of Toyota back in 1989, Lexus has pretty much been a byword for reliability ever since. The Japanese brand laid a solid foundation with its first car, the LS400 saloon – examples of which have been known to break the million mile mark – and subsequently built on it with models like the IS, ES and RX.
Unbelievably, this brand not only tops What Car?’s survey results, but Honest John’s too. And Lexus doesn’t just impress when it comes to reliability; owners reported fantastic dealership experiences on the rare occasions their vehicles did experience a fault.
Toyota
Having read what you’ve just read, this probably should come as much of a surprise. Yes, Toyota’s luxury division tops the reliability charts, but the mainstream Toyota brand itself comes a close second. Toyota doesn’t half know how to engineer a car well, a point that’s been proven time and again by successful models like the Corolla, Yaris and Hilux.
From its smallest supermini to its largest SUV, Toyota builds cars that last. If you don’t have the cash for a luxury model from sister brand Lexus, you can rest easy knowing that Toyota’s more affordable models are every bit as dependable.
Suzuki
Starting to detect a bit of a theme? Japanese car brands almost always lead the way when it comes to reliability, with Suzuki following closely behind Toyota in terms of failure rate, customer satisfaction and repair costs.
According to What Car?’s survey, the Vitara SUV has been the firm’s most reliable model over the past year. Honest John’s data says otherwise, labelling the pint-sized Swift supermini as Suzuki’s best performer. If anything, this just goes to show that no matter which Suzuki model you choose, reliability comes as standard.
Honda
Coming in fourth position is yet another Japanese brand, Honda. For decades now, Honda has been consistently towards the top of reliability surveys the world over: it knows how to create cars that not only perform well, but cars that can comfortably outlast most others on the road.
Boasting rugged, dependable power units and impeccable build quality throughout, models like the Jazz, Civic and CR-V are unlikely to let you down.
Kia
Rewind a decade and this list would likely have consisted solely of Japanese brands, but not any more. South Korean manufacturer Kia has given the likes of Toyota, Suzuki and Honda a run for their money in recent years, often outperforming them altogether.
Not only are the cars in Kia’s current lineup distinctive and stylish, they’re remarkably well-built. Models like the Niro and Picanto rarely give their owners any trouble – it’s no wonder Kia feels confident enough to include an industry-leading seven-year warranty with every new car it sells.
Hyundai
Hyundai is actually the parent company of Kia, so the two brands share a large number of mechanical components. Kia outperforms Hyundai in some surveys, while Hyundai wins out in others. Our advice? Choose whichever brand or model speaks to you – both are among the very best when it comes to reliability.
Mazda
Mazda is yet another Japanese brand that’s long been associated with reliability, at least for the most part. While it’s had its struggles in the past (namely with rotary-powered models like the RX-8), Mazda’s reliability woes are far behind it: nowadays, practically every model of theirs is built to last.
Whether you opt for a supermini like the Mazda 2, a sports car in the form of the MX-5 or a comfortable family SUV like the CX-5, you can’t go too far wrong. All of these cars performed well in Honest John’s survey, although the Mazda 6 saloon wasn’t quite as rock solid as other models in the range.
Mini
Although it didn’t rank as highly on Honest John’s survey results, Mini placed an impressive third in the What Car? survey. This makes it potentially the most dependable European brand out there. All the brand’s models seem to have a solid reputation, though the Clubman and Mini Electric were the star performers.
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