Insurance
The UK’s most reliable cars
Based on affordability, safety, performance or condition
Ryan Barham
Last updated: 06/08/2025
Ryan Barham
Last updated: 06/08/2025
When it’s time to buy a new car, what is your top priority? Space, style or speed?
Whatever you go for, reliability should be a major factor in your decision-making process, especially if you want the car to run smoothly for years to come.
As reported in Bodyshop Magazine, the latest Tempcover research has revealed the UK’s most reliable popular cars.
Each car was scored out of 10 across four key metrics:
The highest-performing model in each category received a 10, the lowest a one. These scores were then averaged to create an overall reliability ranking.
Rank | Make | Model | Repair/Fault Score [1] | Average Owners Rating [2] | Reliability Rating [3] | Average Repair Costs [4] | Overall Score [5] |
1 | Toyota | Yaris | 9.1 | 3.9 | 93.5 | £290.78 | 7.71 |
2 | Volvo | XC40 | 9.5 | 3.8 | 93.40 | £285.30 | 7.68 |
3 | Ford | Fiesta | 8 | 4.0 | 92 | £440.08 | 7.09 |
4 | Hyundai | Tucson | 7.1 | 4.0 | 94.90 | £576.05 | 6.36 |
5 | Volkswagen | Polo | 7.6 | 3.5 | 98.3 | £459.72 | 6.11 |
6 | Ford | Focus | 6.1 | 3.9 | 94.9 | £640.47 | 5.17 |
7 | BMW | 3 Series | 3 | 4.4 | 96.75 | £774.73 | 5.00 |
8 | Volkswagen | Tiguan | 6.4 | 3.9 | 90.00 | £584.73 | 4.78 |
9 | Vauxhall | Corsa | 7.3 | 3.5 | 81.80 | £365.63 | 4.36 |
10 | Audi | A3 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 87.20 | £643.57 | 4.19 |
If you’re thinking of buying a used car, you’ll want to know you are getting your money’s worth. Although every individual car will be different (check out our comprehensive guide to buying a used car for tips on what to watch out for), we compared the average used car price with reliability to see how affordable cars generally hold up.
Make | Model | Used Price [6] | Overall Score | Reliability Rank |
Ford | Fiesta | £4,695 | 7.09 | 3 |
Ford | Focus | £6,995 | 5.17 | 6 |
Volkswagen | Polo | £7,250 | 6.11 | 5 |
BMW | 3 Series | £8,050 | 5.00 | 7 |
Nissan | Juke | £9,500 | 1.30 | 15 |
Volvo | XC40 | £10,995 | 7.68 | 2 |
Audi | A3 | £11,890 | 4.19 | 10 |
Vauxhall | Corsa | £11,947 | 4.36 | 9 |
Nissan | Qashqai | £11,966 | 3.51 | 11 |
Toyota | Yaris | £12,500 | 7.71 | 1 |
Volkswagen | Golf | £12,800 | 2.52 | 14 |
Vauxhall | Astra | £13,850 | 2.65 | 13 |
Hyundai | Tucson | £14,300 | 6.36 | 4 |
Kia | Sportage | £15,876 | 3.08 | 12 |
Volkswagen | Tiguan | £28,399 | 4.78 | 8 |
Ford has the two cheapest cars, with the Fiesta’s strong reliability score help placing it so high in the main list. While the Focus scored 5.2/10 for reliability, its average second-hand price of just under £7,000 finds this vehicle being a popular and promising attraction for drivers on a budget.
At the other end of the scale, the Volkswagen Tiguan has the highest used-car price at £28,399 and ranks eighth for reliability.
The honest answer is no. For various reasons, affordable cars can break down at any point - especially if previous owners have not looked after them or ignored advisories after MOT tests etc.
If you’re interested in a used car and are going to take a look and test drive, especially in a private sale, you should take your time to examine the car inside and out and ask the owner any questions. Listen out for anything that doesn’t sound right when you take the car for a test drive.
If you are going on a test drive, don’t forget to arrange cover. Temporary car insurance lets you enjoy comprehensive coverage for an hour or two so you can get a feel for the new wheels. While our reliability scores can offer a good overview, it’s important to test drive before committing to any purchase.
The methodology involved using existing guides on the UK's most popular cars, along with a mix of reliability data, such as repair data, average repair costs (covering engine, electrical, suspension, brakes, and fuel systems), owner ratings, and overall reliability scores from the most recent year available. Some cars listed (e.g. Ford Fiesta) are no longer available new but remain popular in the used market.
Existing Popular Car Guides
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/buying-and-selling-guides/the-top-10-most-popular-cars-in-the-uk/
https://motorway.co.uk/sell-my-car/guides/most-popular-cars-in-the-uk
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/list/here-are-uks-best-selling-cars-2025-so-far
[1] Motoreasy score taking into consideration average repair costs, repair frequency and common recurring issues. https://www.motoreasy.com/car-reliability.
[2] Where possible, the owner review was taken for the most recent and previous model. This was not also exact and models with one review were ignored. https://www.parkers.co.uk/renault/clio/hatchback-2005/owner-reviews/.
[3] https://www.whatcar.com/kia/sportage/4x4/used-review/n17426/reliability
[4]Average repair cost was calculated from the average cost of a repair for an individual part and the % of repairs involving that part, for a given model. https://www.motoreasy.com/kia-reliability
[5] Each car was given a score out of 10 for each metric, based on how it compared to others—so the best in each category scored 10, the worst scored one. These scores were then averaged to create the final rankings. The average cost of buying each model second-hand was not included in the scoring system as it has no impact on reliability. Data included may be from different trims within model ranges due to inconsistencies in the way each source presents information.
[6]Used Car Price Taken 11/06/2025. https://www.carwow.co.uk/bmw/i3#gref.
