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REVEALED: the most and least reliable cars in 2024

In our exhaustive annual survey, we rate the dependability of cars up to five years old, based on the experiences of owners

THERE ARE THOUSANDS more electric vehicles (EVs) on UK roads now than this time last year, but are they the most dependable cars you can buy? After all, EVs are far less complex than hybrid cars and require less maintenance than petrol or diesel-engined models, so they ought to come out on top, right?

To answer this and other related questions, the annual What Car? Reliability Survey asks thousands of motorists to tell us if their cars have let them down during the past 24 months.

The latest survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, has gathered data from 29,967 car owners. As well as telling us if their cars had suffered any faults, they also told us how much each issue cost to fix and how long it kept their cars off the road. Cost and inconvenience are the two biggest headaches of dealing with a faulty car, so we used responses on these issues to create a unique reliability rating for each car and brand.

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View Issues
What Car?
Nov-24
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Other Articles in this Issue


WELCOME
WELCOME
November 2024 It’s still a high scorer,
FIRST DRIVES
Volvo EX90
Seven-seat electric flagship goes big on range, technology and… most other things On sale Late 2024 Price from £96,255
Audi Q5
Upmarket family SUV ramps up the technology as it moves into a new generation On sale Spring 2025 Price from £49,000 (est)
Peugeot 3008
Mild hybrid petrol version joins its electric sibling in this rakishlooking family SUV’s line -up On sale Now Price from £34,660
Cupra Terramar
Bigger sister to the Formentor completes Cupra’s combustionengined SUV line -up On sale Early 2025 Price from £35,000 (est)
Ford Puma
Mid-life refresh for this small SUV includes a smarter-looking interior and upgraded tech On sale Now Price from £25,800
Volkswagen ID 7 Tourer
Volkswagen’s electric executive car is now available as an estate and in sportier GTX guise On sale November (est) Price from £52,240
Kia EV3
With an official range of up to 372 miles, this small electric SUV is bound to make waves On sale November Price from £32,995
Maserati GranTurismo Folgore
Range -topping electric version of Maserati’s four-seat coupé packs a 751bhp punch, along with an official range of 280 miles On sale Now Price from £179,950
Hyundai Santa Fe
Reborn seven-seat SUV retains familiar electrified engines On sale Now Price from £51,885
Bentley Flying Spur
Revised luxury saloon combines a V8 engine with electric power to boost performance and fuel economy On sale Late 2024 Price from £226,555
BYD Dolphin
Smallest BYD gets a smaller battery and a slimmer price tag to make it more competitive On sale Now Price from £26,195
Volvo XC90
Premium seven-seat SUV is upgraded inside and out to match new electric siblings On sale Late 2024 Price from £70,000 (est)
Smart #5
The brand’s first family SUV combines a tech-filled interior with off-road looks and kit On sale 2025 Price from £40,000 (est)
Volkswagen Transporter
Latest iteration of Volkswagen’s best-selling van gets more cargo space and an up-to-date, hightech interior On sale Spring 2025 Price from £28,000 (est, excl VAT)
Kia EV6
Electric SUV gets a larger battery, revised suspension and a new infotainment system On sale October Price from £45,575
Nex t month
ON SALE 24 OCTOBER
EVERY MONTH
Coming Soon
Audi A5
Reliability league table by brand
(cars up to five years old)
ALLOY WHEEL CLEANERS
Cleaning your car’s wheels regularly will not only keep them looking smar t but also help to ward off corrosion. Here, we test five products that promise to take the effort out of a dir ty job
ADVICE
HOW THE BUDGET M IGHT AFFECT MOTORISTS
The upcoming Autumn Budget is expected to hit motorists hard. Claire Evans takes a closer look at what might be in store
WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON FUEL
IF THE BUDGET goes as expected, driving is
THE NEW ALL-ELECTRIC MINI COOPER
LOTS OF MINI REASONS TO LOVE
KIA EV3
You’ve already had a chance to read about what this all-new small electric SUV is like to drive; now it’s time to find out what a group of our readers think of it
COMPARISONS
PLUG RETHINK
It may look radically different from before, but is the latest Toyota Prius a cut above its refreshed plug-in hybrid rival from Volkswagen?
HOW FAR C AN ELEC TRIC C ARS REALLY GO IN SUMMER?
We put 11 of the latest electric cars – and one 258,000-mile Tesla – through their paces in the ultimate test of EV stamina
OUR CARS
Honda e:Ny1 Advance
Should you consider this small electric SUV over a Smart or Volvo EX30? We’re living with one to find out
Audi A6 Avant 45 TFSI quattro Sport
A holiday in Somerset and a car bootlid delivery pose no problems for our posh estate’s load capacity
BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport
Our electric executive saloon disproves the notion that battery-powered cars aren’t as efficient out of town
Genesis GV60 RWD Premium
Does this plush newcomer deserve a slice of the premium electric SUV pie? The verdict is in
Skoda Kamiq 1.5 TSI 150 SE L
We’re finding out whether this updated small SUV makes a good workhorse for a high-mileage driver
Lexus LBX
1.5 Hybrid Premium Plus Design
Mazda MX-30 R-EV
Makoto
USED CARS
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Looking for all the world like a shrunken S-Class limo, the latest C-Class executive saloon is a tempting used buy with a major trick up its sleeve
Good e-numbers
Either of these small electric hatchbacks would make a great runabout – but is it the Fiat or Peugeot that gets our approval?
BUYER’S GUIDE
Buyer’s guide
Class by class, the best new cars, reviewed and rated
SMALL CARS
1 RENAULT CLIO Our pick 1.0 TCe
FAMILY CARS
WHARCAR? CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024
HOT HATCHES
WHATCAR? CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024
SMALL SUVs
1 LEXUS LBX Our pick 1.5 Premium
FAMILY SUVs
WHATCAR? CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024
SEVEN-SEATERS
1 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Our pick 1.6T
EXECUTIVE CARS
WHATCAR? CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024
LUXURY CARS
WHATCAR? CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024 BEST
PLUG-IN HYBRIDS
NEW ENTRY 1 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Our pick
ELECTRIC CARS
WHARCAR? CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024
ELECTRIC SUVs
1 SMART #3 Our pick Premium List
ESTATES
WHATCAR? CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024
COUPÉS
WHARCAR? CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024
CONVERTIBLES
WHARCAR? CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024
SPORTS SUVs
1 PORSCHE CAYENNE COUPÉ Our pick S
SPORTS CARS
WHATCAR? CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024
PERFORMANCE CARS
WHATCAR? CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024
DATA
Data
Our A-Z of new cars lists every model on sale, alongside all of the important data, our road test verdicts and our star ratings
NEW CARS THIS MONTH
443 MODELS TO CHOOSE AND SPEC p127 Audi
Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Alpine, Aston Martin, Audi
Audi, Bentley, BMW
BMW Alpina, BYD, Caterham, Chevrolet, Citroën
Citroën, Cupra, Dacia, DS, Ferrari, Fiat, Ford
Ford, Genesis, Honda, Hyundai, Ineos, Jaguar
Jaguar, Jeep, KGM,Kia, Lamborghini, Land Rover
Land Rover, Lexus, Lotus, Maserati, Maxus, Mazda
Mazda, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz, MG
MG, Mini, Nissan, Omoda, Ora, Peugeot
Peugeot, Polestar, Porsche, Renault, Rolls-Royce, Seat
Seat, Skoda, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Tesla, Toyota
Toyota, Vauxhall, Volkswagen
Volkswagen, Volvo
Audi A4
2015-2024
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