Can You Trust a Used Car?
Buying a used car is the perfect option if you’re on a strict budget. And sure, some of them can be a great bargain, but sometimes the car is not as reliable as it might seem. So, to avoid this mistake, continue reading to uncover some of the most unreliable used cars.
2004 Ford Focus Petrol
Diesel Focuses of this generation are a much better bet than petrols because there is only a 19% likelihood of the car going wrong, compared with 34% of petrols. Engine and suspension problems were the most frequently cited issues, followed by battery, bodywork, and electric trouble.
Citroen C4
The chance of a C4 being completely unreliable is lower than that of other cars on this list, but the repairs they require when necessary can break the bank a little. The most common issues related to the engine, gearbox/clutch, sat-nav and suspension.
2013 Audi A3 Diesel
There's not much difference between petrol and diesel A3 when it comes to the frequency or cost of faults, but diesel comes out marginally on top because they cost a pretty penny to repair. The air-con and engine are the biggest bugbears for the Audi A3 Diesel.
2013 Audi A3 Petrol
Petrol A3 owners have reported a number of issues with their cars, including a glitch with the battery and engine electrics (the most troublesome areas.) Don’t let the fact that these problems are common with any car fool you, as glitches with the battery and electrics are enough to write you off the road completely. Not ideal!
Vauxhall Astra Diesel
The diesel Astra fares far better than the petrol for reliability. But the main diesel problem areas were the air-con, engine, electrics and suspension. No one wants to be constantly tapping into their savings or spending their weekends at the bank. So you have to decide, is this car really worth it?
Mazda 3 Diesel
If you want a dependable Mazda 3, pick a petrol model because it suffers far fewer faults than diesel. The engine is the most common complaint from diesel owners, followed by the battery, electrics, and exhaust. What's worse is that these repairs don’t just take a couple of hours to fix; it takes days. And you know what that means - a higher bill!
2011 Ford Focus Petrol
Petrol-engined Focus models are proving more robust than diesels. According to owners, 25% of the petrol cars went wrong, compared with 36% of diesels. The air-con, battery, bodywork, electrics, and engine were the most frequently cited problem areas.
Volkswagen Golf Diesel
Diesel Golfs marginally outperform petrol when it comes to reliability. Compared with petrol, the diesels are quicker and cheaper to fix. Bodywork issues were the biggest headache for diesel Golf owners. There are also reports of issues with the battery, engine, fuel system, gearbox/clutch, and suspension.
Renault Megane
With a high fault rate, the Megane does appear to be overly prone to problems. Owners complain about issues with the bodywork, brakes, fuel system, gearbox/clutch, and suspension.
2002 Toyota Corolla
Toyota usually has a strong reliability record, but this very old Corolla has had a number of problems, with gearbox/clutch issues being the most common complaint. There were also reports of faults with the air-con, brakes, bodywork, electrics, and suspension.
Volvo V40 Diesel
The reliability of the diesel V40 is not a happy story. Owners have reported that their cars have suffered at least one fault and said the suspension is the main complaint, followed by the battery, electrics, engine, fuel system, and gearbox/clutch.
Volkswagen Golf Petrol
The petrol Golf is slightly less prone to faults than its diesel siblings, but it is pricier and more time-consuming to fix when it does go wrong. A lot of petrol Golfs have problems with the air-con, battery, engine and suspension the main headaches.
Ford Focus Diesel
Diesel Focus models have a high fault rate and suffer a wide range of problems, including issues with the bodywork, engine, fuel system, gearbox/clutch, and suspension. Not only is this a pain to find the parts, but the repairs will also empty your pockets.
Peugeot 308 Diesel
It's fair to say that Peugeot 308 diesel owners are likely to be a pretty unhappy bunch because of the high likelihood of their cars breaking down. Engine and sat-nav issues were the most common, followed by problems with the air-con, electrics, exhaust, fuel system, gearbox/clutch, and suspension.
2003 Audi A3
The old A3 isn't aging gracefully - owners have reported that their cars had been stricken by a problem. The suspension and various electrical systems were the main issues, but there were also problems with the air-con, battery, brakes, engine, and fuel system.
Skoda Octavia Petrol
The petrol Octavia is slightly more dependable than the diesel according to the owners. Although the car is likely to have a glitch, they are a little cheaper and quicker to fix than diesel models. The battery, electrics, engine, and suspension were the major trouble spots.
Skoda Octavia Diesel
If you opt for this car, you have a 48% chance of it going wrong, mostly with issues affecting the air-con, battery, brakes, electrics, engine, exhaust, and suspension. Perhaps it's time to start looking for a new car if you have a Diesel Octavia.
Vauxhall Corsa
When a car’s repeatedly unreliable, that's more than simply an annoying inconvenience, but the prospect of paying high prices to remedy those issues feels like it's adding further insult to injury, which is why the Vauxhall Corsa polled as one of the least reliable cars.
Peugeot 3008
Stylish and good to drive, it may be, but this is not the Peugeot 3008’s first appearance at the tail end reliability scores over the years, and that in itself is a disappointment. If matters are improving for Peugeot 3008 owners, they’re evidently not happening quickly enough.
Land Rover Discovery Sport
Land Rover positions itself as a prestige brand, producing a suite of models that are billed as functional, practical, and extremely capable off-road, including its least expensive Land Rover Discovery Sport. Customers don’t expect upmarket models to frequently stop working properly, let alone pay a small fortune to get them fixed.
MG ZS
It's a disappointing showing from the popular first-generation MG ZS, with poor scores for both reliability and repair costs. It's worth noting that this is the combined result for both petrol-engined models and the electric MG ZS EV - the battery-powered version scored far better for reliability than the petrol version.
Mercedes C-Class
The Mercedes C-Class, sold between 2014 and 2021, fails to live up to expectations with a disappointing score for reliability. Owners criticize the vehicle's high repair costs, which means problems are frequent and expensive to put right - hardly an enticing combination.
Mercedes A-Class
When Janis Joplin, Bob Neuwirth, and Michael McClure got together to write 'Oh Lord, Won't You Buy Me A Mercedes-Benz', they presumably weren't expecting to find two of its models in a list of the most unreliable cars. Again, those Mercedes parts and labor costs are rubbing salt into the wounds.
BMW X1
If you're a BMW driver feeling smug because you didn't buy a Mercedes, then hold your fire - owners of the BMW X1 don't rate it particularly well when it comes to being reliable and dependable, with equally eye-watering prices when it comes to remedying its issues.
Range Rover Sport
The Range Rover Sport is a pricey SUV that's used by most for the school run rather than scaling mountain rises or trawling through fields. That said, many still incur plenty of issues which tend to be expensive to repair.
Vauxhall Zafira
The Zafira is probably a car you've decided to avoid already - or you would have done if you'd Googled it. The family-friendly MPV has been subject to recalls following a spate of fires that have occurred, mainly caused by aftermarket replacement parts.
Vauxhall Insignia
The Vauxhall Insignia is a favored vehicle that's likely to have been slogged up and down the motorway in the week and used to cart the family around at the weekend. However, according to buyers, its steering faults are the most common.
Peugeot 207
French cars don't have the best reputation when it comes to dependability. What goes wrong most often? It's engine faults and cylinder head gaskets that tend to cause the most headaches.
Mini Cooper
The iconic Mini has changed somewhat under BMW ownership in recent times, and it's become far more expensive to run. Long gone are the days of cheap repairs and quick fixes - when something goes wrong with a Mini these days, the garage receipts can sometimes be maxi.
Seat Ibiza
Seat's Ibiza is the Spanish brand's answer to the VW Polo and Skoda Fabia - and uses pretty much all the same underpinnings. However, it seems to be much less reliable. So you might think it's inexpensive to repair, given there should be plenty of spare parts kicking around, right? Not exactly.
Fiat 500
The Cinquecento is a retro small car from yesteryear that's now back on the market, be it in a heavily modernized format. Still, the dinky Italian city car has some reliability issues, with the gearbox, suspension, and electric faults being at the top of the list.
Renault Clio
This Clio might be a little long in the tooth by today's standards, but there are still plenty of them on the road today. That might be because drivers are tempted by the low second-hand prices - but they do need to buy with caution.
Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
Volkswagen has significantly updated the Atlas Cross Sport for the fifth generation of the vehicle. However, having boring driving dynamics isn’t going to cut it in this challenging segment. It has a low consumer satisfaction rating, with only 38% of owners saying they would buy it again.
Nissan Sentra
In the world of reasonably priced sedans, the Nissan Sentra is a well-known brand due to its stellar gas mileage record. However, it’s known to be among the least reliable cars on the market right now. The most common locations where problems appear are in electrical systems, engines, and transmission systems.
Nissan Armada
The Nissan Armada is the largest car in the series and has a strong V8 engine, which is standard. However, this car’s main selling point is also one of its biggest drawbacks. The Nissan Armada does not have good fuel economy. Additionally, you may need to worry about upcoming maintenance expenses.
