Which? reveals the older cars proving more reliable than brand new ones

If you need to buy a car but don’t have much of a budget, you’ll likely be looking at something older. But with that comes an increased likelihood of things going wrong and costing you money down the road. 

The reliability of any car is heavily influenced by how it’s been treated throughout its life – from the quality of spare parts used and to whether it has been serviced regularly.

While there’s no substitute for due diligence, starting your search armed with data from the Which? car survey (the UK’s biggest new and used car survey) will help you make a shortlist of the most reliable golden oldies on the used market right now.

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The most reliable old cars

Below, we’ve highlighted the eight cars in our survey this year that achieved a five-star reliability rating for models between 10 and 15 years old. Many of them are more reliable and cheaper to repair and service than the average 0-4 year-old car.

Some cars – such as the VW Up and Skoda Citigo – can be found in younger age groups, but our data here only looks at owner experiences for models aged between 10 and 15 years old at the time of our survey. 

We’ve also included data on the car’s average servicing costs as reported by owners and how much you could expect to pay should the car have a fault, based on the cost reported by owners of cars that had at least one fault that required a professional repair. Default ordering is by car name, scroll to the right to see all the data. 

Perhaps the standout car here is the Suzuki Alto (2009-14). No owners of this car reported a breakdown in the year covered by our survey, and it has the lowest reported servicing costs of not just any five-star car in the 10-15 year age group, but of any car in our survey, regardless of age group. If you’re after a cheap in-town runabout, the Alto could be a great pick.

One Alto owner epitomised the ownership experience: ‘It's a compact car that is easy to manoeuvre and park, has great fuel economy, is very cheap to run, very reliable. It’s never not started in the 12 years of owning the car.’

Another perennial favourite among Which? members is the Honda Jazz (2008-15); it’s loved by owners (and gets five stars in our separate ranking of the most loved cars) and its servicing costs are reasonable, too.

If you have a bit more to spend and want something bigger, the Honda CR-V (2012-18) and Toyota RAV4 (2013-18) are good choices, although servicing and repair costs are higher than others on this list. A happy medium might be the Skoda Octavia (2013-20), which is a proper saloon car with plenty of passenger and boot space; upfront costs are higher but servicing and repairs are cheaper. 

Whatever your preferred size, fuel type or budget, make sure your next car purchase is a Which? Best Buy car

The least reliable older cars

These are the cars that scored just one star in our reliability ranking.

A car’s star rating isn’t just based on the number of breakdowns suffered, but also includes how severe the problem was and how long the car was off the road awaiting repairs. Default ordering is by car name, scroll to the right to see all the data. 

Not only do these cars have poor reliability, but also repairs are often on the expensive side and in all cases well above the average for this age group.

The Audi A3 (2003-11) has the highest breakdown rate of any car on this list, making it a car to avoid. The BMW 1 Series (2011-19) is also proving problematic, with both its petrol and diesel versions giving owners a hard time. 

Expert View: How to buy an older car

Michael Passingham, Which? senior researcher

One thing to consider when buying an older car is that many safety features that are now either legally required (or simply very common on newer cars) may not be present. This includes things like Isofix points for child car seats, as well as electronic aids such as antilock brakes and stability control. 

In addition, some versions of some of the cars listed here may incur higher tax due to having higher emissions. If you’re driving into areas such as London’s ULEZ you’ll need to check your car is compliant or face a hefty charge. 

Otherwise, due your due diligence; check the car’s service history and see how many owners it’s had.

For extra peace of mind consider a third-party check such as Carvertical or HPI to see what else might be hidden in its history; the older a car gets the more chances there are for something untoward to have happened in its past. Also check the DVLA recall service for any outstanding recalls that may be associated with your car. 

For more tips, see our guide to buying the best used car.

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