Top 10 reliable car manufacturersResults from the Which? Car 2010 Survey revealed
17 March 2011
Find out the top 10 car brands for reliability in 2010
The Which? Car Survey is the biggest of its kind, with more than 65,000 owners telling us about their cars in 2010.
One of the biggest areas of the Which? Car Survey examines is car reliability – the results from this section of the survey help us to generate our lists of the best and worst carmakers and the best and worst models for breakdowns, faults and niggles.
And you still have the chance to give us feedback on your car in the 2011 Which? Car Survey, which is open until March 28. Anyone who fills in the online survey will also be entered into the draw to win £5,000.
Here are the results from last year’s 2010 Which? Car Survey for the most reliable carmakers.
The Which? Car Survey takes into account reliability ratings for both newer cars (0-3 years old) and older cars (4-8 years old) to give an overall reliability score.
Fill in the 2011 Which? Car Survey
Most reliable car manufacturers
Daihatsu
Daihatsu
Reliability score: 87%
It's a shame that Daihatsu has recently decided to stop selling new cars in the UK because it produces extremely reliable cars. It topped our league in 2010 with an overall reliability score of 86.8%. Newer cars (0-3 years old) scored a mightily impressive 95.7% for reliability, although the brand was let down marginally by older cars (4-8 years), which scored 81%.
Read all our Daihatsu reviews here
Honda
Honda
Reliability score: 85%
The 2009 winner, Honda, was knocked off its perch at the top of the reliability table in the 2010 Which? Car Survey. Newer cars scored 89.5% - more than 6% down on Daihatsu – but Honda made up some ground with reliability for older cars being rated at 82.3%. There were a few exceptions to the though, with the 2000-20008 Honda Accord and the latest generation of the Civic suffering patchy reliability.
Toyota
Toyota
Reliability score: 85%
Toyota is the biggest carmaker in the world, and despite having a woeful year for recalls 2010, it still managed to retain third place in the brand reliability stakes in the Which? Car Survey. New cars up to three years old scored an impressive 89.7%, while older models fell shorter at 81.2%. The Toyota iQ city car and Prius hybrid are among the firm’s top performers in terms of reliability.
Full Toyota reviews available here
Mazda
Mazda
Reliability score: 84%
Mazda was slightly let down by used reliability ratings, receiving just 78.7% overall. However, new cars rated highly for reliability, getting an average of 91.4%. New and used, the 2, 3 and MX-5 were the cars to have in terms of staying on the road. The Mazda 5, 6 and RX8 on the other hand are less dependable. Many Mazdas are based on the same platforms of similar sized Fords, but the Japanese manufacturer fares much better for reliability.
All Which? Car Mazda reviews can be found here
Lexus
Lexus
Reliability score: 83%
Lexus remains one of the top reliability performers around, however it was slightly let down in 2010 by newer cars. The reliability score for cars up to three years old was down to 86.3%. However, the luxury Japanese brand clawed back any disadvantage with a solid score from older models, including the extremely sturdy IS. It does lag slightly behind its parent company, Toyota, though.
Which? Car reviews of Lexus models available here
Suzuki
Suzuki
Reliability score: 82%
Suzuki concentrates on superminis and smaller cars, so the line-up isn’t the most exciting. But Suzuki scored very well for newer cars – rated at 88.3% - while older cars provided fairly solid results with an overall rating of 77.9%. The most common problems concerned electrics, and the Suzuki Splash (twinned with the Vauxhall Agila) was the model to opt for if reliability is key.
Get full reviews of Suzukis here
Subaru
Subaru
Reliability score: 82%
Subarus are best known for dominating the World Rally Championship over the past two decades, but the road cars they produce are among the most reliable around. Newer cars performed exceptionally well in 2010, with a 90.2% reliability score. Older models up to eight years old let the carmaker down a little, though, with the reliability score dropping to 76.1%.
All Subaru reviews can be found here
Hyundai
Hyundai
Reliability score: 82%
Hyundai continues to prove that budget car brands can make reliable cars. In fact, Hyundai scored an impressive 89.3% for newer cars in 2010 and 76.5% for older cars, maintaining a position in the top 10 for both. Older designs like the Santa Fe 4x4, Getz and Coupe are the models that stop Hyundai from climbing higher up the standings.
Read Hyundai Which? Car reviews
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
Reliability score: 81%
Mitsubishi slipped down the pecking order slightly in 2010, let down mostly by older car reliability ratings. Newer cars scored 90.3%, while cars up to eight years old posted an overall rating of just 75.3%. The star performer was the Colt supermini, with a miniscule number of faults reported.
Kia
Kia
Reliability score: 81%
Like Mitsubishi, Kia’s older models hold it back on overall reliability ratings. Many older models, especially those now discontinued, let the side down resulting in an overall reliability score of 75.6% for cars aged from four to eight years old. But current cars, such as the Picanto and Cee’d, help the new reliability score climb to 89.2%.
Which? Car Kia reviews can be found here
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