What are the most reliable car brands to own in 2020?

While cars don’t have a ‘best before’ date, there’s no doubt that some models appear to expire far earlier than others.

To understand which brands produce the longest-lasting vehicles, What Car? polled almost 13,000 UK drivers about the reliability of their motors – even those that are up to 20 years old. 

The study rates the manufactures from best to worst, with Japanese and Korean makers dominating the top performers – and Land Rover limping behind the pack.

The consumer website and magazine surveyed a total of 12,892 car owners earlier this year.

Each driver was asked if their vehicle had gone wrong in the past 12 months, how long it had spent off the road and how much it had cost to repair. 

Using its own algorithm, What Car? collated the feedback to produce a unique Reliability Rating percentage for each model.

The data is then extrapolated and determines the order of the most and least reliable brands with an overarching score for each maker.

The rankings revealed are for motors between five and 20 years of age.

This not only helps existing owners understand what problems they might encounter further down the line but also gives second-hand buyers an idea of which brands and models they can count on keeping running for the foreseeable future. 

Surprisingly, despite the age of the cars featured, 17 per cent of all faults highlighted by owners were said to be fixed for free, while nearly a fifth were fixed for less than £200. 

Unfortunately, for five per cent of owners, repair costs exceeded £1,500; the most common issues were related to the suspension, non-engine electronics, brakes and battery. 

Electric and hybrid cars were found to be the most reliable models in general, with an average rating of 96 per cent across their class. 

The poll was particularly positive for Japanese and Korean brands.

They collectively occupied eight out of the top ten positions for the most reliable manufacturers, with Lexus coming out on top with an average score of 96 per cent. 

However, it wasn’t great news for Nissan, which produces cars in Sunderland.

Of the 27 brands, it placed 26th with a 70.4 per cent Reliability Rating and the Qashqai SUV – both old and current – scoring badly with owners.

In fact, the survey highlighted that 4X4s are causing the most issues for drivers in general, with luxury SUVs in particular being problematic and pricey to keep running, managing an average 63.1 per cent Reliability Rating.

Unsurprisingly, given its production of pricey SUVs and renowned long-running difficulties with dependability, Land Rover was the worst performing brand in the What Car? survey.

Owners of the British manufacturer’s motors reported an array of expensive faults and repeating issues, with the maker given a Reliability Rating of just 66.3 per cent.

The Land Rover Discovery Sport, for instance, was the worst rated used large SUV, with a score of just 51.4 per cent.

Claire Evans, consumer editor at What Car?, said: ‘Our research highlights the importance of doing your homework when buying a used car. 

‘While some models make excellent used buys, others can set new owners back hundreds or even thousands of pounds in repairs.

‘With one-in-five older used cars breaking down last year, buyers can avoid some nasty pitfalls simply by spending a bit of time reviewing and researching their next used buy.’

To help second-hand buyers identify which particular models are lasting the test of time better than others, What Car? listed the top and bottom three performing models for reliability in ten vehicle categories, from small cars to premium SUVs.

Here are the most and least reliable cars in each class…