Japanese Brands Prove Most Reliable Among Used Cars

Reliability is a key factor for UK consumers when they decide what car they will spend their money on. According to a new study from What Car?, reported by the BBC, Japanese cars lead the reliability charts for used cars.

The study shows that all top five slots are occupied by Japanese car manufacturers. Honda, Toyota and Lexus are the most reliable cars, according What Car?, while Suzuki and Subaru close the top five, highlighting the total Japanese domination.

The best performing non-Japanese brand in the study is South Korean Hyundai, which shares the sixth position with two more Japanese brands – Mazda and Mitsubishi. On the flip side, of all brands included in the survey, Land Rover ranks at the very bottom, joined by other luxury cars, such as Audi, Jaguar and Mercedes, which also rank among the least reliable.

Chas Hallett, What Car?’s editor in chief, comments that the results from the study may seem surprising and even slightly worrying, and they clearly show that the lower ranking brands have a lot to do in terms of improving their score, as reliability is a major factor for car owners, especially at times of restricted budgets.

According to the study, drivers buying a Honda face a 10% risk of something going wrong, compared to an average of 43% for luxury brands. The likelihood of a Nissan, the worst performing Japanese brand, breaking down is estimated at 25%, whereas 70% of Land Rovers would be expected to break down in a 12-month period, the survey suggested.