Reputable analytical agencies annually research the reliability of cars. To make a rating and determine the leader, experts interviewed car owners about malfunctions, and also studied reports from service centers on the number of breakdowns and factory defects of certain models.
The British magazine WhatCar interviewed 13,000 drivers to compile its ranking. They talked about what kind of car they used over the past 12 months and what kind of breakdowns they encountered during this period. Also, in the formation of the reliability indicator, the cost of repairs and the time spent on repair were taken into account. About 175 models from 31 automakers were studied. Therefore, we strongly recommend checking a vehicle with the help of Faxvin before buying a certain car on the secondary market.
The Lexus brand tops the rating: the highest scores received NX and RX crossovers (99%). The second and third places were taken by Mitsubishi and Toyota. There was also an outsider – the American company Tesla. The owners of these electric cars often turned to service centers with various breakdowns, which left an imprint on the degree of reliability. Most often, problems arose with the Model S and X. In general, the list of TOP-10 car brands, taking into account the reliability rating, looks like this:
- Lexus – 98,7%;
- Mitsubishi – 97,9%;
- Toyota – 97,7%;
- Mini – 96,8%;
- Škoda – 96,4%;
- Hyundai – 96,3%;
- Honda – 95,3%;
- Mazda – 95,2%;
- BMW – 95,2%;
- Tesla – 88,6%.
Now let’s review the list of the most reliable cars on the secondary market.
The most reliable cars on the secondary market
Hyundai Solaris/Kia Rio
We decided to combine two related models of the Korean manufacturer since they are identical in terms of technical stuffing. Recommendations for the selection of such a car on the secondary will be the same. The biggest danger is the high probability of buying a car from a taxi or car-sharing. So the main key to success is a transparent history with full information about previous owners and after-sales service.
To protect yourself a little more, you should foremost look for an option with the hatchback body. Such cars, as a rule, rarely work in taxis and are mostly bought by private traders. In terms of reliability, these cars are quite powerful, however, if the mileage of the car exceeds 100,000 km, then it is better to give preference to cars with a 1.4-liter engine.
Renault Logan/Sandero
This is another budget model that was a bestseller and is now offered in countless numbers in the secondary market. The main advantage of Logan is that this car for some reason lost the love of the owners of taxi drivers. Powertrains and transmissions for the Logan and Sandero are almost the same as the first-generation sedan and hatchback.
At the end of 2018, on the sedan and hatchback, the classic hydromechanical automatic transmission was replaced with a Jatco variator. Such a transmission causes concern among buyers, but in reality, it does not cause serious problems for the owners.
Toyota RAV4
Nine out of ten Toyota RAV4 owners have never experienced technical issues. At least that’s what the North American agency J.D. Power and the authors of the Consumer Report reliability rating say. Besides, the high reliability of the model is regularly noted by European experts from the German automobile club ADAC.
Moreover, this applies to cars of almost all generations, since from year to year this model not only gets into the reliability ratings but also consistently occupies high places there. The atmospheric engines with a volume of 2.0 and 2.4 liters can be called almost eternal.
Honda CR-V
Traditionally, high places in the reliability ratings of the Honda brand are provided by the CR-V crossover, which in almost any of its generations, can pass over 300-350 thousand kilometers without difficulties and serious repairs. The high reliability of the CR-V of all generations has been repeatedly noted by the Consumer Reports agency, which has called it the leader in its class for many years in a row. In addition, over the past few years, the Japanese crossover has consistently been in the top three in the German TUV reliability rating among cars under 10 years old.
Kia Sportage
In recent years, Korean manufacturers have climbed higher and higher in reliability ratings. For example, most recently on the shortlist of Americans from J.D. Power the leader among cars under three years was the Genesis brand, even ahead of Lexus. Another Korean manufacturer – Kia – began to regularly appear in these ratings, and even managed to surpass Hyundai several times. The Sportage crossover almost always took the lead among Kia models. The high reliability of this car has been repeatedly noted by Consumer Reports studies. Moreover, in 2015, Kia Sportage was named the leader in the crossover class by J.D. Power.
Lexus RX
The flagship crossover of the Japanese premium brand has been holding the top lines of American reliability ratings for many years in a row. According to J.D. Power, the Lexus RX gives owners fewer problems than any other classmate. The reliability index of this model is 95.35%. Less than 5% of these machines older than five years have breakdowns and failures. By the way, the Lexus brand itself has been sharing the top lines of reliability ratings with its sister brand Toyota for many years in a row. Similar estimates of RX are given by the experts of the German club ADAC.
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a unique car, although it doesn’t have any cutting-edge design features or high-tech options. The Japanese use proven technologies. But it seems that this approach makes this model one of the leaders in the secondary market in terms of residual value. Of course, the Camry wears out both the materials in the interior and the paintwork over several years of operation, but, as a rule, nothing serious happens to the power units and chassis with proper maintenance.