By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.
Most reliable cars for 2026
Championing consumers since 1957, our team of over 150 expert researchers and editors test, investigate, and campaign to protect your rights and help you shop smarter
Whether you're looking for the most reliable small car, SUV or MPV, use our research to find the models you can trust - and those you can't.
In our annual Which? car survey, we ask thousands of motorists about their cars, the issues they've had and whether they've broken down, allowing us to reveal the most reliable vehicles on the market. With the data we collect, we can determine how reliable a model is in its first four years since being manufactured, as well as those aged 5-9 years and 10-15 years.
A particularly unreliable car can't be a Best Buy regardless of how well it performed in our lab tests.
If you're looking for the reliability record of a specific car, skip straight to our reliability lookup tool.
Best cars: discover the cars that aced our lab tests
How we judge reliability
In our latest survey, we spoke to more than 60,000 car owners and used their feedback to provide robust reliability ratings for hundreds of vehicles.
- A total of 63,334 drivers reported on 72,470 cars – thank you to everyone who took part in our survey
- 19 cars managed a full five-star rating in the 0-4 year age group
- 12 cars got just one-star for 0-4 year reliability
The most reliable cars
The table below shows all cars that achieved a full five stars in the three age groups covered by reliability in the latest Which? car survey.
Which? members can log in to view the most and least reliable cars.
Not yet a member? Join Which? today to unlock our reliability results and access all of our online reviews, including our expert, independent new and used car reviews.
Most reliable cars: 0-4 years old
These cars are proving reliable in their first few years after being manufactured.
| 162 | ||
| 128 | ||
| 407 | ||
| 91 | ||
| 93 | ||
| 65 | ||
| 74 | ||
| 80 | ||
| 132 | ||
| 115 | ||
| 45 | ||
| 52 | ||
| 102 | ||
| 104 | ||
| 101 | ||
| 58 | ||
| 64 | ||
| 94 | ||
| 248 |
Data based on an online survey of 63,334 drivers who told us about the 72,470 cars they owned, conducted April 2025 to June 2025.
Most reliable cars: 5-9 years old
Owners of examples of these cars between five and nine years old reported very few faults.
| 49 | ||
| 80 | ||
| 121 | ||
| 45 | ||
| 44 | ||
| 59 | ||
| 46 | ||
| 58 | ||
| 47 | ||
| 100 | ||
| 61 | ||
| 235 | ||
| 125 | ||
| 69 | ||
| 82 | ||
| 63 | ||
| 86 | ||
| 58 | ||
| 73 | ||
| 46 | ||
| 55 | ||
| 155 | ||
| 63 | ||
| 40 | ||
| 55 | ||
| 62 | ||
| 153 | ||
| 79 | ||
| 164 | ||
| 67 | ||
| 52 | ||
| 43 | ||
| 90 | ||
| 46 | ||
| 49 | ||
| 104 | ||
| 44 |
Data based on an online survey of 63,334 drivers who told us about the 72,470 cars they owned, conducted April 2025 to June 2025.
Most reliable cars: 10-15 years old
While you can no longer buy any of these cars new, they're well worth looking out for on the used market.
| 40 | ||
| 42 | ||
| 41 | ||
| 387 | ||
| 53 | ||
| 40 | ||
| 59 | ||
| 101 | ||
| 67 | ||
| 60 | ||
| 42 | ||
| 52 | ||
| 88 | ||
| 43 |
Data based on an online survey of 63,334 drivers who told us about the 72,470 cars they owned, conducted April 2025 to June 2025.
The least reliable cars
From extended periods off the road for repairs to high breakdown and fault rates, the cars below are the ones that fared the worst in our latest reliability survey.
| 43 | ||
| 92 | ||
| 48 | ||
| 109 | ||
| 274 | ||
| 65 | ||
| 76 | ||
| 61 | ||
| 121 | ||
| 62 | ||
| 56 | ||
| 44 |
Data based on an online survey of 63,334 drivers who told us about the 72,470 cars they owned, conducted April 2025 to June 2025.
Which? car reliability tool
Which? members also get access to our car reliability tool, which lets you look up detailed reliability data for individual cars.
Which brand makes the most-reliable cars?
If you've not yet decided on a model and want to narrow your search, you can see which manufacturer puts the most effort into ensuring its cars don't break down and develop faults.
We've looked at cars made by more than 30 manufacturers to determine which brand makes the most reliable vehicle.
Head to our most reliable car brands to see which manufacturers we recommend.
How we calculate reliability
Our robust reliability research is powered by the experiences of 63,334 owners who have given detailed insight into the ownership and maintenance of 72,470 cars (Which? car survey, in field April 2025 to June 2025).
The reliability scores are calculated from data including the number of breakdowns and faults suffered by cars in the past 12 months.
Faults are weighted according to seriousness. So the more severe the fault and the more time the car is off the road, the harder the model will be hit in our results. These scores are represented by a star rating, with one star being the worst and five the best.
The scores for each car are also combined to provide an overall reliability score for each manufacturer. See how they compare in our guide to the most reliable car brands.
Compare car insurance
Find the right policy for your vehicle using the service provided by Confused.com
Get a quote now