The most (and least) reliable used family cars 2023

Which family cars are most likely to stay on the road and which are a mechanic's dream?

When looking for a car, practicality and reliability are most likely to be at the top of anyone’s checklist, particularly if your family is expanding.

WhatCar? has taken a lot of the guesswork out of choosing a reliable and affordable car as its latest research reveals the top 10 used family cars – and those to avoid.

It polled its users on their experiences with their cars over the last couple of years, to get an insight into how often drivers had to turn to mechanics for repair work, and crucially how much those repairs set them back.

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The least reliable family cars

Let’s start with the family cars to avoid, the ones that are most likely to result in a costly trip to the garage.

Here are the least reliable, according to the WhatCar? study:

Car

Year of manufacture

Reliability rating

Honda Civic

2017-22

86.7%

Vauxhall Astra petrol 

2015-22

86.7%

Honda Civic

2012-17

85.2%

Mercedes A-Class petrol

2018-present

84.5%

Mercedes A-Class diesel

2018-present

83.7%

Volkswagen Golf diesel

2013-20

83.4%

Volkswagen Golf 

2020-present

79.9%

Skoda Yeti

2009-2017

79.2%

Skoda Octavia

2020-present

78.7%

Mercedes A-Class hybrid

2018-present

78.4%

Audi A3

2020-present

74.2%


The first thing that jumps out here is that there are a number of repeat offenders. For example, there are three separate versions of the Mercedes A-Class in this hall of shame.

The worst of the bunch is the hybrid version, with almost half (46%) having a problem with their vehicle over the last two years.

The engine, non-engine electrics and air con were the most common areas to develop issues.

While the majority of cars were fixed under warranty (79%), around a sixth of those who had to pay for the repairs ended up paying up to £1,500.

There are also two Honda Civics to figure in the list.

Bottom place however goes to the latest generation of the Audi A3.

More than half of drivers (57%) had suffered an issue with their motor over the last two years, and in a third of cases this was down to problems with the sat nav or infotainment systems.

Almost another third was accounted for by electrical faults.

More than one in three (38%) A3s were unable to be driven because of those issues, with three quarters (76%) spending more than a week in the garage.

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The most reliable family cars

What about the other end of the scale, the vehicles that are least likely to leave you needing to head to the mechanic?

Here are the 10 most reliable family cars according to the latest WhatCar? data:

Car

Year of manufacture

Reliability rating

BMW 1 Series

2019-present

96.6%

Skoda Octavia diesel

2013-20

97.1%

Toyota Corolla hybrid

2018-present

97.6%

Ford Focus petrol

2011-18

97.7%

Volvo V40 diesel

2012-19

97.9%

Hyundai i30

2017-present

98%

BMW 1 Series

2011-19

98.1%

Kia Ceed petrol

2012-18

98.1%

Lexus CT200h

2011-21

99.3%

Toyota Auris hybrid

2013-19

99.3%


On this one, we have joint winners, with both the Lexus and the Toyota managing an almost perfect score.

Just 6% of Auris drivers had an issue, according to WhatCar?, and the only problems were related to the bodywork.

What’s more, every model was fixed for free and within a day of the cars being left at the garage.

It was a similar story with the Lexus CT200h, where again only 6% of drivers had an issue.

In this case, the issues were all related to the suspension, the costs were covered by Lexus and the cars were all fixed within a day.

It’s also worth noting the Skoda Octavia, which takes ninth place. It is significant that this older generation has performed so well, given that the current generation ended up in the bottom three of the least reliable table.

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*This article contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission on any sales of products or services we write about. This article was written completely independently.

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