The UK’s most reliable used cars: Honda, Mazda and Toyota dominate list of the models with fewest faults

Japanese and Korean mainstream brands dominate warranty firms’ list of most dependable secondhand vehicles

The Honda Jazz has been named the UK’s most reliable used car in a new study of vehicle dependability.

The practical supermini was among a brace of cars from Japan and Korea which dominated the top of Warrantywise’s 2022 Reliability Index. It was also among the cheapest to fix, with an average repair cost of £424.31.

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That relatively low repair cost along with a very low chance of developing a fault was enough to earn the third generation Jazz an unbeaten 93.7 points out of 100 on the warranty firm’s index.

Behind it was another Japanese supermini, the Mazda 2, with a score of 89.9, while Mazda also took fourth place in the table with the third and fourth generations of its famous MX-5 roadster, which scored 86.5 out of 100.

The third generation Honda Jazz was found to be the most reliable used car up to 10 years oldThe third generation Honda Jazz was found to be the most reliable used car up to 10 years old
The third generation Honda Jazz was found to be the most reliable used car up to 10 years old

The index draws on information from more than 131,000 extended warranty policies and only covers cars up to 10 years old which are out of their standard manufacturer warranties. It also discounts any model where there are fewer than 100 examples covered by the firm.

The firm recently revealed its list of most unreliable cars which was dominated by premium and luxury brands and topped by the previous generation Range Rover.

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Between the two Mazdas in the most reliable list was the Toyota Auris with a reliability rating of 89.7 - the first of two Toyota models on the list. The smaller Aygo city car was ranked 5th, with a rating of 85.5.

It was just ahead of the Kia Ceed family hatchback, which edged its smaller stablemate the Rio into seventh place by the smallest of margins, scoring 85 compared with the Rio’s 84.9.

The sporty Mazda MX-5 has proved to be dependable as well as funThe sporty Mazda MX-5 has proved to be dependable as well as fun
The sporty Mazda MX-5 has proved to be dependable as well as fun

The Suzuki Alto finished eighth, with a rating of 83.9 ahead of the previous generation Hyundai i20, which scored 82.5.

The Peugeot 107 - part of a platform sharing venture with the Toyota Aygo - was the only European model to make it into the list of the 10 most reliable used cars, scoring a credible 81.6 out of 100.

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Lawrence Whittaker, CEO of Warrantywise said: “It’s unsurprising to see Honda top the table, given how reliable its cars have proven to be time and time again, with the results of our Reliability Index.

“The Reliability Index is such a great tool for us to be able to evaluate the market and help our customers make the right choice for them when it comes to deciding which car to purchase; especially now with the cost of parts and labour on the rise and people genuinely searching for the best options to suit their needs.”

The single highest repair cost of any car within the top 10 list was £2,422 for the Mazda 2, contrasting with the highest repair cost for the Mazda MX-5 which came in at £586.94.

In comparison, the highest repair cost for the Range Rover was £23,890 - almost as much as a brand new MX-5.

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