Most Reliable Used Cars in the UK (2026)
The short answer: across 3.46 million DVSA MOT tests, the average UK car passes first time 77.3% of the time. Of the 59 models tracked here, the Honda Jazz has the strongest record once age is accounted for — 80.5% first-time, +6.8 points better than cars of the same age. The Renault Clio has the weakest at 62.7%, 11.8 points behind its peers.
Most “most reliable car” lists are built on owner surveys, which measure how people feel about their car. This one is built on the MOT: a legally required, independently administered roadworthiness test that every car in England, Scotland and Wales has to take once it is three years old. Northern Ireland is tested separately by the DVA and from four years, so it is not in this data at all. It is the one test every car in Great Britain takes, and DVSA publishes the results. It checks safety and emissions items, not the engine, clutch or gearbox (GOV.UK says the test does not cover them), so a pass rate shows how a model holds up at the test rather than giving a full reliability record.
Why we age-match every figure
A raw pass rate mostly tells you how old a model’s fleet is. Old cars fail more, whatever the badge. Quote a raw number against the national average and you will systematically flatter new models and punish long-lived ones.
The clearest example in this dataset: the Tesla Model 3 and the Hyundai Tucson both pass first time 85.3% of the time. Against the national average of 77.3%, both look strong. But cars as young as the Model 3 pass 89.5% of the time, so it is actually 4.2 points behind its peers — while the Tucson is bang on average for its age. Same headline number, opposite verdict.
MOT first-time pass rates, 59 UK models
Ranked by performance against cars of the same age. Tap a model for its common faults and its best and worst years to buy.
| Model | Pass rate | Same-age avg | Difference | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Jazz | 80.5% | 73.8% | +6.8 | 35,354 |
| Audi A6 | 83.1% | 76.6% | +6.5 | 12,504 |
| Honda CR-V | 80.7% | 74.1% | +6.5 | 20,016 |
| BMW 5 Series | 82.9% | 76.7% | +6.2 | 20,829 |
| MINI Cooper | 87.2% | 81.9% | +5.3 | 43,577 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 82.6% | 77.7% | +4.9 | 13,901 |
| BMW 3 Series | 79.9% | 75.1% | +4.9 | 48,624 |
| BMW X1 | 85.4% | 80.9% | +4.6 | 11,546 |
| Volkswagen T-Roc | 92.9% | 88.4% | +4.5 | 9,266 |
| BMW i3 | 89.5% | 85.1% | +4.4 | 2,620 |
| BMW 1 Series | 81.3% | 77% | +4.3 | 41,220 |
| Toyota Avensis | 74.1% | 69.8% | +4.3 | 5,560 |
| Toyota Corolla | 84.6% | 80.5% | +4.0 | 13,129 |
| Range Rover Evoque | 85.1% | 81.2% | +4.0 | 20,075 |
| Toyota Yaris | 79.5% | 75.7% | +3.8 | 49,396 |
| Audi A3 | 80.1% | 76.4% | +3.7 | 43,706 |
| Volkswagen Golf | 79.2% | 75.6% | +3.6 | 90,866 |
| Skoda Karoq | 91.3% | 87.9% | +3.4 | 6,182 |
| Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 80.2% | 77% | +3.2 | 23,913 |
| Toyota C-HR | 90.6% | 87.3% | +3.2 | 10,473 |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 78.6% | 76% | +2.6 | 37,418 |
| Skoda Octavia | 80.5% | 78.1% | +2.4 | 20,737 |
| Audi A4 | 77.3% | 75% | +2.3 | 24,990 |
| Honda Civic | 74.8% | 72.5% | +2.3 | 27,215 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 77% | 74.8% | +2.2 | 17,732 |
| Ford Kuga | 83.4% | 81.2% | +2.2 | 32,869 |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 83.7% | 81.6% | +2.1 | 26,428 |
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 83.8% | 81.6% | +2.1 | 5,432 |
| Kia Niro | 91% | 89.1% | +1.9 | 10,881 |
| Hyundai Kona | 90.3% | 89.1% | +1.3 | 6,358 |
| Land Rover Discovery Sport | 84.5% | 83.4% | +1.1 | 12,812 |
| SEAT Leon | 80.1% | 79.1% | +1.0 | 19,349 |
| Skoda Superb | 81.7% | 80.7% | +1.0 | 6,784 |
| Ford Mondeo | 73.4% | 72.7% | +0.7 | 17,644 |
| Mercedes-Benz A-Class | 81.8% | 81.2% | +0.6 | 38,379 |
| Mazda CX-5 | 83.2% | 82.7% | +0.5 | 7,514 |
| Hyundai Tucson | 85.3% | 85.2% | 0.0 | 17,402 |
| Ford Focus | 74.7% | 74.8% | -0.1 | 93,066 |
| Skoda Fabia | 75.6% | 75.8% | -0.2 | 24,057 |
| Vauxhall Astra | 72.5% | 73.4% | -0.9 | 62,313 |
| Kia Sportage | 80.5% | 81.7% | -1.3 | 32,024 |
| Nissan Micra | 71% | 72.2% | -1.3 | 25,020 |
| Nissan Leaf | 82.9% | 84.8% | -1.9 | 5,233 |
| Ford Fiesta | 72.3% | 74.9% | -2.6 | 143,495 |
| Renault Captur | 79.2% | 82% | -2.8 | 16,580 |
| Volkswagen Polo | 72.7% | 75.8% | -3.0 | 66,500 |
| Kia Ceed | 74.1% | 77.7% | -3.6 | 13,872 |
| Hyundai i30 | 71.2% | 75% | -3.8 | 10,713 |
| Peugeot 208 | 76% | 79.9% | -3.9 | 23,233 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 85.3% | 89.5% | -4.2 | 7,790 |
| Fiat 500 | 72% | 76.4% | -4.3 | 37,554 |
| Dacia Duster | 79.2% | 83.8% | -4.7 | 8,350 |
| Vauxhall Corsa | 71% | 76% | -5.0 | 94,401 |
| Nissan Qashqai | 73.5% | 78.6% | -5.2 | 62,848 |
| Peugeot 3008 | 75.5% | 80.7% | -5.2 | 15,081 |
| Nissan Juke | 73.7% | 78.9% | -5.2 | 34,271 |
| Vauxhall Mokka | 74% | 81% | -7.0 | 26,627 |
| Renault Megane | 60.9% | 71.6% | -10.7 | 9,524 |
| Renault Clio | 62.7% | 74.5% | -11.8 | 32,125 |
To set two of these models against each other on the same figures, see Fiat 500 vs MINI Cooper, Ford Kuga vs Nissan Qashqai, Nissan Qashqai vs Volkswagen Tiguan or Volkswagen Golf vs Volkswagen Polo.
What the table does not tell you
A strong pass rate means a model tends to arrive at the test in good shape. It does not mean the car is cheap, and it says nothing about the engine, clutch or gearbox, which the MOT does not check. A model at the top of this table can still be expensive to service, and vehicle tax depends on CO2 and the date of first registration rather than on how well a car is built. Reliability is one input into running costs, not a substitute for working them out.
Individual cars also vary far more than models do. A well-maintained example of a mid-table car will out-live a neglected example of the one at the top, which is why the per-model guides linked above list the specific faults to check and the years worth avoiding.
For the same models with the DVSA recalls that cover each one and the MOT first-time failure rate beside the rate for cars of the same age, see used cars to avoid in the UK: recalls and MOT failure rates.
How we measured it
- Source: DVSA MOT Anonymised Data 2025 (Open Government Licence v3.0).
- Metric: first-time pass rate — class 4 (car) tests of type NT, a vehicle’s normal annual test. A pass, or a pass with rectification at test, counts as a first-time pass.
- Retests excluded. Including them would let a car that failed be recorded as passing.
- Age-matched: each model is compared against all cars sharing its registration-year mix, not against the all-ages average.
- Floor: models with fewer than 2,000 tests are not published, rather than quoted from a thin sample.
- National baseline: 77.3% across 3,459,000 tests. Our mileage and age pages quote the same rate from 3,393,731 tests: those are the ones in this sample with a usable odometer reading on a car aged three or over.
Looking for one of these?
Cars on Autoza come from UK dealers, with the mileage and asking price on the listing so you can compare like for like — and any car's MOT history is free to check with its registration.
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