Most and least reliable cars with the lowest / highest repair costs long-term, age 3-15 years, data from a warranty provider, they know exactly how much they pay for each model and what issues they pay for:
Posted by mgobla@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 24 comments
For scoring additionally to repair costs they also scored
- Repair request frequency
- Average labour hours for repairs
- Average vehicle age at repair
- Average vehicle mileage at the time of required repairs.
Most reliable: Top 10 most reliable used vehicles for 2026 | Warrantywise
Btw Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1 are a rebadged Toyota Aygo.
Least reliable: Used cars with lower reliability scores 2026 | Warrantywise
ReadWriteHexecute@reddit
what does reliable even mean in this post ICE post modern era? Aren’t all cars now not total pieces ?
Least-Resolution5893@reddit
Has anyone owned a Honda lately? I'd be curious to see if their reputation for longevity still holds up with newer models post-2010. It feels like they've been pretty quiet lately.
BeepBangBraaap@reddit
Basic, low-tech commuter cars and work vehicles are the most reliable (by these metrics) while complicated tech-heavy luxury flagships are the least reliable (by these metrics).
color me shocked.
mgobla@reddit (OP)
Lexus builds well equipped luxury cars and no cheap cars but is still among the best brands: Who makes the LEAST and MOST reliable cars? All the major car firms ranked for reliability! - YouTube
Asleep-Use-7336@reddit
repair cost per fix matters more than frequency imo. a car that needs a sensor every year is way less painful than one that needs a transmission once
mgobla@reddit (OP)
It does matter more for their scoring.
chuff704@reddit
Do they give access to the entire list anywhere?
mgobla@reddit (OP)
Sadly no. European manufacturers are probably pressuring them not to (this is from the UK). Last time they released more data was \~5 years ago: Who makes the LEAST and MOST reliable cars? All the major car firms ranked for reliability!
costafilh0@reddit
This can be easily manipulated to achieve the desired results.
Give me a spreadsheet and let me create my own scoring system.
Neglected_Martian@reddit
Kia on the list of most reliable twice, pretty surprising considering all the Kia hate this subreddit pushes whenever the topic comes up.
leftlanespawncamper@reddit
I think the bulk of the Hyundai/Kia hate can be attributed to one line of their 4-cylinders being notoriously problematic and the inertia of their perception as cheap/disposable cars.
From everything I've seen/heard, the EVs and anything with a V6 is solid.
andrewia@reddit
Hyundai fangirl here! The EVs have the infamous ICCU issue (I bought one anyway because I had a lot of other wants). Their US and Korean divisions just extended the warranty to 15 years and 180k miles; reports indicate the replacements have the same core flaws as the original design, so there's a miniscule chance of failure for each. There are similar issues for the new 400V EVs, but the old 400V EVs are immune.
Their V6s, 8-speed autos, and CVTs haven't had significant scandals afaik. The issues with 4-cylinder engines seem to be mostly limited to individual plants, but multiple product lines were affected. There haven't been reports of issues with the new SmartStream branded engines yet.
As for handling recalls, it's been mixed. Once a lawsuit seems likely, they usually do a recall, but don't expect widespread replacements (just extended warranties and firmware fixes until you have a failure). And dealer quality varies widely.
Przedrzag@reddit
Specifically the Theta II engines were the duds with mass failures, and neither the Kia Picanto nor the Ceed ever came with that family of engines
Redeemed_Expert9694@reddit
As someone who owns a decade old Kia, and has relatives with models that are 15-20 years old with well over 200k miles. I'll say that as long as you're proactive with maintenance, they'll last
V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit
Never own large SUV and limo, but I don't think European view would be able to apply in North America. There are still many 20 years old full-size trucks still running, Detroit clearly know how to make their large trucks simper and easier to maintain.
one_five_one@reddit
You would think luxury would imply some high level of reliability.
907Ski@reddit
I'd think that it implies owners with different expectations and resources. No doubt, an S Class has much that can go wrong than with a Swift's four moving parts. But the buyer of the cheapest cars on the market is more likely to accept defects that do not significantly impede use. (And its probably burdensome for that person to be without a vehicle if undergoing warranty repair. Luxury brands tend to provide loaners during service, whether warranty repair or otherwise.) The S Class owner/lessee is gonna want the innumerable "conveniences" to work, particularly if it was a five-figure option.
Were feasible to adjust for owner behavior, I suspect the econo-box scores would decrease a bit and the luxo-barges' increase though the general contours of the list would likely remain about the same. Even if all vehicles components were equally reliable, luxury vehicles have more stuff to go wrong and are more expensive to fix.
TheStrongTaint@reddit
Never has
Gods_ShadowMTG@reddit
Dunno where those data points are coming from but at least for germany the picture is completely different. AI also says that BMW is one of the most reliable car brands globally.
https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/unfall-schaden-panne/adac-pannenstatistik-2026/
https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/autokatalog/autotest/beste-autos-ranking-2025/
mgobla@reddit (OP)
I am from germany, your links are completely misleading. ADAC has ZERO corlleation to this topic. German manufacturers have their OWN recovery / towing service , so ADAC will obviously NOT come if someone else comes instead. Also 90% (prob 99%) of ADAC are empty batteries, so this whole "statistic" is mostly about what models are used for short distance driving or by old people who rarely drive and then end up with an empty battery bc of it. Zero correlation to reliability. Cars that had €10k in repair costs will obviously NOT show up at all in this statistic, but cars with €0 , zero, repair costs will show up if their owner let the battery die and then calls ADAC.
Lazy trolling. The post explained it and there are obviously links to the source itself...
lee1026@reddit
Why? Rich people can afford to pay mechanics. BMW dealers are honestly pretty good at things. They will give you nice loaners and stuff.
As long as you ignore how much you pay them (a lot), it isn’t an unpleasant experience.
PastPalpitationCry@reddit
Merc thanking Land Rover and BMW for being shit
Astramael@reddit
I find it wholly unsurprising that Land Rover dominates the least reliable car index.
Land Rover owners that I know, for what it’s worth, don’t seem to have a negative perception of their vehicle’s reliability. They take it to the dealer on a schedule, they get a loaner that is also a Land Rover, they pay what it costs, and getting stranded is not common.
At least for the expense you get a vehicle that feels very nice to be in and drives well.
hi_im_bored13@reddit
I think the issue w luxury cars (cars in general, but especially luxury cars) is u have to pin metrics like this down to a generation (or better, trim & refresh)
e.x the precious gen merc gle/gls base & ttv6 the 7g was dead reliable, up there w the b58's reputation now. the v8 had issues. then all the cars had major mild hybrid issue. now they're fine
likewise w the x5&x7 in the worst reliability list here, the 19+ x5 is quite solid, not perfect, & there are occasional auxiliary issues, but it's not as bad as the rest of the list