Cars that won’t let you down! Reliability has never been more important
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Many motorists who buy or lease cars have an important checklist – which starts with their budget.
Good looks, presence on the road and performance are also important, especially if it is a sports car.
If it’s a family car, space, usability, flexibility, fuel economy and payload are often more important.
But whichever engine you choose, for most two factors remain fairly constant: satisfaction and reliability.
Of the two, reliability is easier to measure – and many surveys do, asking drivers directly about their experience or rating how often cars have been to garages for repair.
British Made Winner: In the latest Which? Research, Nissan’s Qashqai was praised for its family appeal and “almost flawless” reliability
Satisfaction is fuzzier. Customers who buy hyper-expensive cars have extremely high expectations, so it could only be a minor glitch before their satisfaction plummets. In contrast, those who buy a budget car – a Dacia, for example – can be happy if it exceeds their more modest expectations.
So which car surveys rated the most reliable and satisfying cars?
That?
Last month, the Sunderland-built Nissan Qashqai was chosen by consumer champions Which? (who.co.uk), following feedback from over 49,000 car owners.
Priced from £26,405, the SUV not only topped Which?’s annual reliability survey, but also achieved a five-star rating from the consumer group, whose expert testers praised its practicality, family appeal and near-flawless reliability.
With 42,704 sales in 2022, Qashqai was the UK’s best-selling new car last year – the first time in nearly a quarter of a century that a British-made vehicle has topped the sales chart.
But the Lexus was still awarded Which?’s most trusted car brand.
Which car?
Indeed, Lexus also topped the latest What Car? report (whatcar.com) on reliability cars.
Based on responses from 24,927 owners of 248 models up to five years old from 32 brands, the Japanese premium brand Lexus achieved a score of 98.4 percent, followed by its brother Toyota (97.2 percent).
They were followed by: British Mini and Japanese Mitsubishi (97 percent); Korea’s Hyundai and Japan’s Suzuki (95.8 percent); Korean Kia (95.5 percent); Mazda of Japan (95.2 percent); China’s once British brand MG (95 percent); and Renault’s Romania-based Dacia (94.4 percent).
The least reliable brands in the What Car? survey were: Jeep (77 percent); Land Rover (81.4 percent); Fiat (86.4 percent); Alfa Romeo (87.3 percent); Peugeot (87.4 percent); Ford (87.8 percent); Jaguar (88.7 percent); Nissan (89.3 percent); Vauxhall and Mercedes-Benz (89.5 percent); Volkswagen (90.2 percent) and Audi (91.1 percent).
What Car said: “There isn’t an unreliable model in the entire Lexus lineup.”
Owners were asked to catalog any failures over the past two years in areas such as air conditioning; body; brakes; engine and its electrics; exhaust and fuel system.
They were also asked how long their car had been off the road and how much it cost to repair.
Hybrids were cited as the most reliable. The current Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz A-Class have been in the garage the longest (76 percent longer than a week); and diesel versions of the BMW 3 Series cost the most to repair, with 33 per cent of bills over £1,500.
Honest John
Lexus was also named the most satisfying and reliable car brand of 2022 in the latest Honest John Satisfaction Index survey of 6,000 owners (HonestJohn.co.uk), which rates car brands and vehicles for reliability, build quality, fuel economy, repair costs and performance.
Driving comfort, handling, ease of use, usability, technology and safety are also examined.
Lexus was number 1 for owner satisfaction — with an overall score of 92.37 percent — and reliability, with an average score of 9.89 out of ten.
The Lexus NX (2014-2021) was rated as the UK’s best model for reliability.
In terms of owner satisfaction, Lexus was in second place followed by Dacia (92.16%), followed by the all-electric Tesla (92.12%), followed by Porsche (90.91%) and Jaguar (90 .53%).
In contrast, the least satisfactory manufacturers were: Vauxhall (82.69 per cent); Renault (84.42 percent); Mitsubishi (86.33 percent); Citroen (86.42 percent); and Mini (86.55 percent).
After Lexus, the most reliable were: Suzuki (9.75); Subaru (9.72); Toyota (9.70); and Dacia (9.68). Least reliable were: Land Rover (8.93); Peugeot (8.93); Fiat (8.94); Volkswagen (9.04); and Citroën (9.05).
In terms of individual cars, the latest Hyundai Tucson (96.64%) is the most satisfactory, followed by the Kia XCeed (96.40), Hyundai Ioniq (94.55); Hyundai Kona Electric (94.14) and Kia e-Niro (94.09).
The least satisfactory was the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class (80.98 percent); Toyota RAV4 (85.07); Ford Fiesta (85.62 units); Vauxhall Mokka X (2012-2019, 85.81) and Honda CR-V (2012-2018, 86.54).
The most reliable cars were the Lexus NX (9.98); Hyundai Tucson (9.96); Kia XCeed (9.96); Skoda Superb (9.95) and Jaguar XF (9.90).
The least reliable were: Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class (8.52); Peugeot 3008 (8.61); Ford Kuga (8.70); Land Rover Discovery Sport (8.91) and Skoda Octavia (8.91).
A new electric challenger on the block
BYD is probably the biggest car company you’ve never heard of.
But that’s going to change.
Because the Chinese electric car giant with the slogan ‘Build your Dreams’ has just appointed the first tranche of British franchised dealers to sell its cars in Britain.
The first include: Pendragon; Arnold Clark; viewers; and LSH Auto Holdings.
Ready for launch: BYD’s Atto3 crossover hatchback has a claimed range of 260 miles and charges to 80 percent in 29 minutes
BYD (byd.com) says UK dealers will receive cars soon, with sales starting in the first quarter of the year.
More new models will be introduced later in the year. The UK follows Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.
The first car to hit UK showrooms will be the electric Atto3 crossover hatchback, which I saw launched at the Paris Motor Show in October. It recently achieved the maximum five stars in the European Euro NCAP crash tests.
It is powered by a 60.48 kWh battery and the rest to 100 km/h acceleration takes about 7.2 seconds. It has a claimed range of 260 miles and charging to 80 percent takes 29 minutes.
Expect prices in the UK to be from around £40,000, with confirmed prices coming soon.
The BYD Atto3 also features a host of safety features, including forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, rear collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert and rear cross-traffic brake, lane assist, lane change assist and emergency lane assist.
Michael Shu, Managing Director and Managing Director of BYD Europe said, “We look forward to working with our partners in building the BYD brand in the UK.”
Insurance is skyrocketing by £100 a year
Insurance costs: Average premiums rose by £100, a 19% increase, in just 12 months
Drivers pay near record amounts for car insurance as figures show the average cost for a woman is £557.
Average premiums rose by £100, a 19 per cent increase, in just 12 months, Confused.com reports. It means that male drivers now pay an average of £672.
The average total cost of car insurance is £629, just £34 (or 5 per cent) less than the most expensive price on record.
“These are the most expensive prices since before the coronavirus pandemic, when they peaked at £630 on average,” the new report concludes.
The survey of 2,000 UK drivers who renewed in the last quarter found that half saw their renewal price increase by an average of £46 compared to the previous year.
Younger drivers have seen their premiums rise by more than £200, with some 18-year-olds facing a £307 increase in the past 12 months, bringing the average premium for drivers in this age group to £1,715.
Shopping can still save money, the website says.
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