Cars
Car reliability
Introduction
Our survey tells you the most reliable cars bought new since 2001.
Every 3 years we ask members about any problems they've had with their cars during the previous year. It's one of the biggest surveys we conduct.
Our 2011 survey covered 8566 cars and we report on 18 makes and 42 models.
About our survey
We surveyed online members during August 2011. We wanted to know whether their cars had had any problems during the previous 12 months – and we also asked where any problems had occurred.
Our reliability ratings are based on the percentage of makes and models in our survey that had been trouble-free.
The analysis for these ratings excluded accidents and vandalism, routine maintenance such as tyre replacement or tuning, and cars that were more than 10 years old or that had been owned for less than 12 months. As well, we excluded makes or models for which we received fewer than 30 responses in each age group.
Our survey also checked members' satisfaction with the make and model of their car (see Member picks).
More than 8500 members told us about their car, allowing us to report on 18 different makes and 42 models.
Our thanks to all those who took part. Reliability of makes and reliability of models shows our tables of results.