The top 10 most – and least – reliable cars in the UK

The top 10 most – and least – reliable cars

The Honest John website has published the results of its latest Satisfaction Index, rating cars and brands for how happy they leave their owners.

Dependability forms a key part of the survey, with detailed feedback from more than 6,000 respondents allowing Honest John to reveal the cars that owners can depend upon the most. In addition, those cars that have disappointed with their lack of reliability are also named and shamed.

Join us for a look at the 10 cars that scored the highest for reliability, plus the 10 languishing at the bottom of the list. A higher percentage score represents better reliability here.

Most reliable brands of 2025

Along with rating individual cars for reliability, the Honest John Satisfaction Index also rates the top brands for how dependable owners find them.

Top of the list for 2025 is Lexus, with a 97.71 percent reliability rating from Honest John readers, taking the award for the fifth year in succession.

Tesla follows behind, achieving a score of 95.29 percent for dependability, with the American EV brand actually taking victory in the Satisfaction Index for 2025.

Completing the top three for reliability this year is Toyota, which scored 94.65 percent.

10th. Most Reliable Cars – BMW 2 Series Active Tourer

Moving to the top 10 list of reliable cars, the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index puts the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer in 10th place.

Specifically, respondents to the survey rated the first-generation 2 Series Active Tourer, made between 2014 and 2021, as the 10th-best car for dependability.

The compact MPV managed to be BMW’s top-rated car in the survey, with a score of 94.42 percent.

9th. Tesla Model 3

Whatever the problems Elon Musk’s company may be facing in the wider world, things are going well in the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index.

Despite early examples having a questionable reputation for build quality, owners seem satisfied with how dependable the entry-level Model 3 electric car is.

A score of 94.58 percent put the Model 3 in third place, while Tesla as a brand came top for ownership satisfaction. Watch this space to see if the electric car company keeps owners happy during the next 12 months.

8th. Mazda CX-5

The 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index top 10 is dominated by SUVs, perhaps reflecting the changing nature of the automotive market.

Mazda’s CX-5 is one of the most engaging SUVs to drive, channelling the spirit of the MX-5 sports car into a more practical design. It also happens to be reliable, according to those that drive it.

Owners gave the CX-5 a score of 95.20 percent for reliability.

7th. Honda CR-V

One of the key rivals for the Mazda CX-5 is the Honda CR-V, with the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index positioning it one place ahead.

Taking seventh position in this year’s survey was the facelifted version of the fifth-generation CR-V. Made between 2018 and 2023, this CR-V has proved to be a dependable companion for those who drive one.

Along with the 95.96 percent score for reliability, owners also rated the Honda CR-V highly for practicality.

6th. Toyota RAV4

With Toyota in third position overall for brand reliability, it should be no surprise that the RAV4 features in the top 10.

Owners have been impressed by the Toyota RAV when it comes to dependability. It edges ahead of its Japanese SUV rivals with a score of 96.19 percent.

However, it is not the top-rated Toyota on this list…

5th. Hyundai Kona

With a five-year warranty as standard, Hyundai puts faith in the reliability of its new cars from the outset. In the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index, the Kona compact SUV is the model that owners rated the highest of all.

Build quality and technology were areas that saw the Kona perform strongly, alongside a 96.30 percent score for reliability.

The Hyundai Kona Electric was also singled out for particular praise from survey respondents.

4th. Honda Jazz

A perennial favourite among Honest John readers, the Honda Jazz secured a strong fourth position in the 2025 Satisfaction Index when it comes to dependability.

The latest version of the Jazz has a hybrid-only powertrain, along with styling that is certainly distinctive.

A rating of 96.81 percent for reliability is perhaps what matters most for Jazz owners. Honda as a brand claimed fourth place in the overall reliability standings, too.

3rd. Toyota Corolla

Taking the first podium place for reliability in the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index is the ever-dependable Toyota Corolla.

One of the best-selling cars across the globe, the Corolla is a genuine icon when it comes to dependability.

The progress of time, and increasing levels of complexity, have not been a barrier to Toyota’s family hatchback and estate remaining reliable. A score of 96.94 percent reflects just how solid the Corolla is.

2nd. Skoda Karoq

Skoda’s ‘Simply Clever’ approach to design and construction has won it an endless amount of fans. Survey respondents rated the Czech brand in fifth place overall for satisfaction, but the Karoq was the leading model when it came to reliability.

The midsize SUV has become one of the most popular vehicles in the sector, thanks to its mix of practicality and value for money.

With a score of 97.69 percent, the Skoda Karoq can happily add reliability to its list of qualities as well.

1st. Lexus NX

With Lexus taking the overall top prize for the most reliable brand in the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index, it come as no surprise that the NX SUV takes first place.

The Lexus NX has previously collected the award for being the most reliable model in the study, so an impressive score of 98.06 percent demonstrates just how dependable this second-generation NX is.

Drivers were also impressed by its build quality, practicality and comfort, making this one of the most satisfying cars to own.

Least reliable brands

At the other end of the dependability scale, there are brands that have left drivers taking part in the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index less than impressed.

With a score of just 76.67 percent for reliability, Alfa Romeo took the wooden spoon in the latest study. No model from the Italian marque was found in the bottom 20, though.

The study proved to be a bad one for Stellantis, with Jeep (82.31 percent), and Vauxhall (84.53 percent), completing the bottom three brands.

10th. Most Unreliable Cars – Ford Focus

Despite the Ford Focus being a popular mainstream family hatchback, owners are less impressed when it comes to dependability

Those responding to the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index gave it a score of only 85.86 percent for reliability. Parts and servicing costs were also highlighted as being an issue for owners.

This year will see production of the Ford Focus come to a close, meaning the hatchback is not going out on a high.

9th. BMW X1

Ranked ninth-from-bottom in the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index for reliability is the second-generation BMW X1, made between 2015 and 2022.

What makes this score of 85.75 percent for dependability surprising is the fact that the related BMW 2 Series Active Tourer scored so highly at the other end of the scale.

Owners found that expensive parts added insult to injury when it came to repairing their X1s.

8th. Vauxhall Astra

With Vauxhall placed third-lowest for brands when it comes to reliability, the fact that some of its popular models are ranked near the bottom should not be much of a shock.

The fifth-generation Astra was one of the last cars built while Vauxhall was part of General Motors, before the marque was taken over by the Stellantis conglomerate.

Despite selling in huge numbers, the 2015-2021 Vauxhall Astra does not have many fans when it comes to dependability, scoring 84.83 percent.

7th. Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Remember when Mercedes-Benz used to be a paradigm of dependability? According to Honest John readers, those days are long gone, with a poor showing for the German marque in the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index – ranked as the fourth worst brand overall.

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class received a rating of 84.23 percent for reliability, perhaps not helped by the sheer complexity of the latest model. In common with many of the cars at the bottom of the list, expensive parts and labour costs were also highlighted by owners.

However, this is not the most unreliable Mercedes in this year’s survey…

6th. Peugeot 308

Peugeot was fifth-worst as a brand for reliability in the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index, with older examples in particular not rated highly by their owners.

The second-generation Peugeot 308, produced between 2013 and 2021, is the model that drew the greatest criticism from Honest John readers.

A problematic infotainment touchscreen was cited as one of the biggest issues, along with expensive repair costs, contributing to a score of 83.81 percent.

5th. Mercedes-Benz C-Class

There is a definite theme to the cars at the bottom of the 2025 Honest John list, with those manufactured between 2014 and 2021 attracting plenty of negative attention.

Fitting this pattern is the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class, with its score of 83.66 percent for reliability. That’s despite the C-Class being one of best-selling premium cars in the UK.

Mercedes-Benz dealerships were also noted as costly, making C-Class ownership an expensive proposition.

4th. MG ZS

The reborn MG brand has evolved rapidly in a short space of time, which means earlier models like the ZS, sold between 2017 and 2024, are seemingly not aging well.

The car was rated poorly for both reliability and repair costs, with an 83.64 percent score. Honest John notes this rating covers both the electric and petrol-powered versions of the ZS.

By itself, however, the ZS EV scored a far more impressive 90.00 percent.

3rd. Land Rover Discovery Sport

Land Rover has often experienced mixed fortunes when it comes to dependability, with the brand in the bottom 10 in the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index.

The Discovery Sport was the third-worst vehicle for reliability according to survey respondents. Build quality has been raised as a consistent issue with the Discovery Sport, which is at odds with Land Rover’s ‘go anywhere’ image.

A score of 82.22 percent reflected the frustration felt by Discovery Sport owners.

2nd. Peugeot 3008

Taking the runner-up spot for reliability is the recently replaced Peugeot 3008 crossover SUV.

Being related to the Peugeot 308, and sharing the same platform, it follows that the second-generation 3008 is so low down the list.

As with the 308, the cost of repairs at Peugeot dealerships also contributed to a poor 81.00 percent score for reliability. Hopefully the current 3008, launched in 2024, will manage to fare better.

1st. Vauxhall Corsa

Right at the very bottom of the 2025 Honest John Satisfaction Index for reliability is one of the UK’s best-selling cars.

Being so well-known may have counted against the Vauxhall Corsa, with familiarity setting expectations for reliability that the supermini could not match.

A score of only 80.93 percent reflected just how disappointing the Corsa was in the eyes of Honest John survey respondents. At least the only way is up for Vauxhall’s popular supermini next year.