UK's most and least reliable used cars: Lexus NX, Toyota Aygo X, Nissan Juke


Updated on 15 January 2025 | 0 Comments

Which older motors are most likely to run well and which will send you running to the mechanic? Here are the UK's most (and least) reliable used cars.

How reliable is your car? 

Are you constantly waiting for new warning lights to appear on your dashboard or confident that you’ll rarely need to make a trip to the garage?

Of course, if you’ve bought a new car, you can relax knowing that the warranty will cover most problems.

However, reliability becomes more of an issue when you’re driving an older vehicle that has clocked up thousands of miles.

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Surveying 30,000 drivers

The latest survey from What Car? magazine, carried out alongside MotorEasy, polled 29,967 drivers to identify the most (and least) reliable used cars.

Cars were then assigned a reliability rating out of 100%.

The judges based the ratings on claims over faults in the past 12 months, the cost to fix repairs and the amount of time a car is off the road.

The research focused on cars up to five years old.

This is because most new cars come with a minimum three-year warranty, followed by another two years in which drivers are less likely to receive a free repair.

The winners:  Lexus NX and Toyota Aygo X

The top spot in the What Car? research is shared between the Lexus NX and the Toyota Aygo X.

According to the judges, the Lexus NX (2014-2021) is your “best bet if you want a fault-free family SUV”, with just 2% of owners reporting “minor glitches”.

In terms of the Toyota Aygo X (2021-present), the experts point out that “not a single owner has needed to seek assistance from dealers at all in the previous 24 months.”

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The least reliable: Nissan Juke

At the other end of the spectrum, the Nissan Juke comes in as the least reliable vehicle, according to motorists surveyed.

Overall, the car has a score of just 50%.

While the researchers describe the second-generation Juke as “an affordable small SUV”, it is the lowest-scoring vehicle in the research.

Almost a third of drivers have experienced an issue, and 80% said their vehicles were unusable because of these faults, with the 12-volt battery being the most often reported issue.

Next up, the MG 4 and Vauxhall ranked as the second and third least reliable.

The most reliable cars

Here is the complete lineup of the 10 most reliable cars of 2024, according to What Car?

Rank

Model

Overall score

Common faults

1 =

Lexus NX (2014-2021)

100%

None

1=

Toyota Aygo X (2021-present)

100%

None

3

Mini Countryman (2017-2024)

99.7%

Bodywork (2%)

4

Audi Q2 (2016-present)

99.5%

Engine (3%)

5=

Kia Picanto (2017-2024)

99.3%

Gearbox/clutch (6%)

5=

Lexus ES (2018-present)

99.3%

Sat-nav/infotainment (4%)

5=

Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman (2016-present)

99.3%

Bodywork (6%)

5=

Skoda Octavia petrol (2013-2020)

99.3%

Fuel system (6%)

9=

Mini Convertible (2016-2024)

99.2%

Satnav/infotainment (7%)

9=

Tesla Model Y (2021-present)

99.2%

Non-motor electric (3%)/ motor electrics (1%)/satnav/infotainment system (1%)

The best-value used cars of 2024

The most unreliable cars

And the cars that didn’t fare so well?

Here are the worst-performing vehicles according to the drivers surveyed by What Car?

Rank

Model

Overall score

Common faults

Average repairs costs

1

Nissan Juke (2019-present)

50%

12-volt battery (13%)/ engine (9%)/brakes (6%)

Fixed for free (35%)/More than £1,500 (52%)

2

MG 4 (2022-present)

63.8%

Non-motor electrics (15%)/interior trim (9%)/motor (7%)

Fixed for free (55%)/ More than £1,500 (19%)

3

Vauxhall Mokka Electric (2020-present)

65.6%

12-volt battery (30%)/ EV battery pack (20%)/ satnav/infotainment (15%)

Fixed for free (92%)/ More than £1,500 (8%)

4

Kia Sportage diesel (2016-2021)

66.2%

Engine (24%)/ gearbox/clutch (20%)/ non-engine electrics (16%)

Fixed for free (83%)/More than £1,500 (8%)

5

Mazda CX-60 (2022-present)

68.8%

Suspension (33%)/ steering (24%)/non-engine electrics (19%)

Fixed for free (100%)

6

MG ZS Electric (2019-present)

69.3%

Air-con (14%)/12-volt battery (14%)/EV battery pack (9%)

Fixed for free (82%)/ More than £1,500 (5%)

7

Volkswagen Golf diesel (2020-present)

 

70.4%

Gearbox / clutch (11%)/non-engine electrics (11%)/satnav/ infotainment (11%)

Fixed for free (41%)/ More than £1,500 (4%)

8

Vauxhall Corsa Electric (2019-present)

 

72.2%

Brakes (7%)/Motor electrics (7%)/satnav/ infotainment system (7%)

Fixed for free (61%)/ £751 to £1,000 (6%)

9

Range Rover Evoque (2011-2019)

 

78.3% 

Engine electrics (15%)/suspension (15%)/ exhaust (12%)

Fixed for free (86%)/More than £1,500 (14%)

10

 Seat Leon (2020-present)

 

74.2%

Brakes (7%)/motor electrics (7%)/satnav/infotainment (7%)

Fixed for free (97%)/More than £1,500 (3%)

Have your say

Do you own any of the cars on these lists? What has been your experience of their reliability?

We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

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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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