Most and least reliable car brands revealed in poll of more than 100,000 UK drivers

Motorists in Britain have revealed which car makers produce the most and least reliable vehicles in a massive survey, and it’s not good news for two popular Chinese brands.

The Auto Express Driver Power poll gathered responses from more than 100,000 car owners this year, each rating their vehicle for reliability over the last 12 months.

The results, shared exclusively with the Daily Mail and This is Money, show that Mercedes-Benz builds the most dependable cars in the eyes of UK drivers.

Owners of the premium German marque awarded their vehicles an average reliability score of 92.42 per cent, narrowly ahead of Volvo and Mazda.

At the opposite end of the scale is Jeep, the Stellantis-owned American brand, which is joined among the ten least reliable manufacturers by Britain’s two best-selling Chinese car makers, MG and BYD.

Steve Walker, head of digital content at Auto Express, said the survey should help motorists avoid the additional expense and inconvenience that can come with buying a less dependable vehicle.

‘The Driver Power owner satisfaction survey gives us a unique and exclusive insight into the reliability of new cars in the real world because the data comes directly from people who own and use the cars,’ he said.

Mercedes tops reliability rankings

Mercedes didn’t just top the reliability charts; the German manufacturer that’s sold over 56,000 motors in Britain already in 2026 was also the highest-rated brand overall in the Driver Power satisfaction rankings, which assess manufacturers across ten categories, including dependability.

Scores are based on factors including perceived build quality, powertrain performance, exterior styling, interior usability, practicality and boot space, ride and handling, safety features, fuel economy and running costs, infotainment functionality, and overall value.

‘There’s a reason you’ll still see decades-old Mercedes models working as taxis in cities around the world. These cars have traditionally been built to withstand a serious amount of punishment and keep going,’ Walker said.

‘This latest Driver Power result suggests that durability hasn’t been lost as Mercedes has moved into a new generation of cars packed with technology.

‘Taking the top spot for reliability, as well as being named the best manufacturer overall, is a very strong result and suggests the three-pointed star is delivering on both fronts.’

Volvo (40,000 sales in the UK in 2026) ranked second for reliability with a score of 91.43 per cent, although it finished 14th overall in the Driver Power manufacturer satisfaction standings.

‘Volvo’s second-place finish is also particularly interesting given everything the brand has gone through over the years,’ Walker said.

‘Its move into Chinese ownership under Geely prompted plenty of debate among Volvo fans at the time, but this result should reassure anyone who worried that a change of ownership might mean a change in the qualities that made the brand so popular.

‘A 91.43 per cent reliability score shows that Volvo is still producing cars that owners have a great deal of confidence in.’

Volvo’s result comes despite thousands of owners of its electric EX30 SUV experiencing issues that are preventing them from fully charging their vehicles.

Around 10,000 UK owners of the EV, which starts from £34,000, were told in December not to charge their batteries beyond 70 per cent because of overheating concerns that could potentially trigger a fire.

Even now, many affected vehicles have yet to receive replacement battery cells due to delays in sourcing parts from China.

Mazda, which has delivered 16,000 cars to UK driveways in 2026, completed the top three with a reliability score of 91.26 per cent. 

The Japanese brand ranked 11th overall for owner satisfaction and is one of several manufacturers renowned for producing mechanically dependable vehicles.

‘A bit of a rebel in the modern car market, Mazda is happy to go its own way technologically. However, despite this rather unusual approach to powertrains, it’s clear that Mazda’s engineers know how to build them properly and owners report top-class reliability,’ Walker said.

Honda, Toyota and Suzuki were rated fourth to sixth overall for reliability, closely followed by US electric car maker Tesla and VW-owned Skoda.

The final two spots in the top ten most reliable brands were taken by Stellantis pairing, Vauxhall and Peugeot. 

Least reliable car makers include two popular Chinese brands

At the other end of the table sits Jeep.

The US brand, which has sold fewer than 6,800 cars in Britain this year, recorded the lowest reliability score of any manufacturer at 81.68 per cent.

However, despite its low dependability rating, the American 4×4 specialist still finished eighth overall for owner satisfaction.

‘Jeep has spent decades building an image around toughness and go-anywhere capability, so you might expect that reputation to translate into a strong reliability showing,’ Walker explained.

‘However, the fact that Jeep scores well in several other areas shows that owners aren’t unhappy with their cars across the board, but reliability is clearly the area where the brand has the most work to do.’

MG and BYD, Britain’s two best-selling Chinese brands, which have already registered more than 100,000 sales between them in 2026, also feature among the ten least reliable manufacturers.

MG, which ranked second overall for owner satisfaction, recorded a reliability score of 83.94 per cent. Meanwhile, BYD posted a reliability rating of 85.14 per cent, making it the sixth-lowest-ranked brand in the dependability standings, despite achieving mid-table results across most other categories.

Cupra and Dacia also feature among the brands with the lowest reliability ratings, with both manufacturers scoring poorly for overall owner satisfaction.

By contrast, Land Rover received a dependability rating of 84.39 per cent from owners, yet still ranked among the ten most satisfying brands to own.