Buying a second-hand car can be a stressful experience, especially when you’re desperate not to purchase a vehicle with a shocking reliability record that will cost you an arm and a leg in repair bills.
But while the dependability of used motors is heavily impacted by how well they’ve been looked after by previous owners, there are certain cars that have a higher than average fault count that is appears so common that it suggests an issue with that particular model.
Consumer watchdog Which? has identified eight popular cars where lots of owners have reported experiencing – and having to pay to fix – the same problems.
Luxury brands don’t guarantee reliability: Consumer watchdog Which? has named eight premium-badged cars that all have higher-than-average cases of faults, according to multiple owners
Which? says its unique reliability data – collated from thousands of UK drivers – shows you can’t rely on cars from premium brands to be more dependable.
In its latest survey, the consumer group received feedback from 50,323 individual motorists about a total of 59,921 cars they drive – with some owning more than one.
Using this data, it has identified several models with above-average instances of specific faults.
And while some faults are more serious than others, the eight models highlighted are affected by certain faults far more than other models of similar ages.
The vast majority of owners who reported these faults also confirmed that the problem wasn’t fixed through a manufacturer recall, meaning they more than likely had to fork out for it to be fixed.
Most recalls are voluntary processes put in place by car makers to action common or serious issues that can be a safety concern, with the manufacturer covering the cost of rectifying the problem.
However, faults that fail to fall into the category of dangerous and a safety issue tend to be overlooked.
Natalie Hitchins, head of home products and services at Which?, said: ‘Our research shows how some popular cars are plagued by mechanical faults that could be expensive to fix or even dangerous for motorists.’
Here’s the eight cars Which? says you need to watch out for…
1. Alpine A110 (2018-present), 0-4 years old
Fuel system faults: 35% (4% avg across all 0-4 years cars)
Cooling system faults: 16% (3% avg across all 0-4 years cars)
Exhaust/emission fault: 16% (3% avg across all 0-4 years cars)
The biggest concern with the Alpine A110 sports car is the volume of fuel system faults. Some 35% of owners said they’d experienced one in the previous 12 months, which is well above the 4% average across all cars aged up to 4 years
The Alpine A110 is a unique model – and not just because it’s the one and only model the French sports car maker produces currently.
The two-seat coupe is one of the sweetest handling – affordable – performance models on the market today and comes with a bag full of rallying heritage to boot.
But there are recurring issues reported by owners to Which?.
In fact, the consumer watchdog goes as far as saying it is ‘blighted by several faults’, with more than one in three owners reporting serious fuel system component issues.
Owners said their cars broke down, failed to start or was deemed unsafe to drive as a result.
Cooling system and exhaust and emission problems with Alpine A110s are more common than across vehicles of a similar age, the report said
Even more concerning is that this fault affected seven times more cars than is typical for relatively new models aged 0-4 years.
Marginally less serious cooling system component faults were also reported in high frequency, with breakdowns and A110s being unfit to drive in half of all these cases.
Another problem faced by drivers of the Alpine – a brand owned by Renault – is exhaust and emission component faults, which are comparatively minor.
However, in a quarter of instances of this fault, the car was unsafe but still drivable, owners said.
Which? contacted Alpine for comment on the high frequency of faults reported by owners.
‘All Renault Group brands are committed to customer satisfaction as a top priority. As a part of its quality policy, Renault Group deploys Recall or Service Campaigns as often as necessary to ensure customers complete peace of mind with their vehicle,’ a spokesperson said.
‘In regard to fuel system faults, we confirm that a service campaign was implemented in December 2023, with more than 50 per cent of cars now rectified.
‘Anyone seeking assistance should contact their local Alpine Centre.’
Which?’s Hitchens applauded Alpine’s approach and said other brands should follow suit.
‘It’s encouraging to see Alpine doing work to address faults but other manufacturers must be aware problems are being reported,’ she said.
‘They [car manufacturers] need to take responsibility and ensure they are fixed so that motorists do not have to pay hundreds of pounds for repairs.’
Audi’s first-generation A1 has a much higher volume of fuel system faults than cars of its age
2. Audi A1 (2010-2018), 5-9 years old
Fuel system faults: 18% (4% avg across all 4-9 years cars)
Audi’s first-generation A1 hit the market in 2010 as a competitor to Mini, which at the time was the dominant compact premium hatchback with retro features.
And it proved pretty successful, especially in Britain, where buyers were happy to spend a higher price for the Audi logo rather than opting for a similarly-sized Ford Fiesta or VW Polo.
But owners of 5-to-9-year-old cars are now starting to see one major issue.
Nearly one in five drivers of petrol first-generation A1s in this age group told Which? their car suffered from serious fuel system component faults.
A quarter of the reported faults left owners without a car to drive, while around two in five (40 per cent) said it triggered a breakdown.
More than three in five previous-generation Audi A3 Sportbacks aged 0-to-4 years with fuel system faults were undriveable, with 39% sharing this problem also suffering a breakdown
3. Audi A3 Sportback (2012-2020), 5-9 years old
Fuel system faults: 18% (4% avg across all 5-9 years cars)
Another hugely popular car in Britain is Audi’s A3 family hatchback – especially the Sportback version, which offers the practicality of five doors.
But the previous generation car appears to be suffering from serious fuel system component faults, though.
More than three in five (18 per cent) of cars aged 0-to-4 years with this issue were left undriveable because of the fault, with 39 per cent sharing this problem also suffering a breakdown.
The picture looks better for older diesel models, though, with 35 per cent of owners reporting that their cars were still able to be driven safely with the fault.
A slightly higher percentage of cars were reported unsafe to drive, though.
A quarter of owners of the latest Audi A3 saloon said they’d experienced fuel system woes in the last 12 months
4. Audi A3 Saloon (2020-present), 0-4 years old
Fuel system faults: 25% (4% avg across all 0-4 years cars)
The Saloon version of the Audi A3 isn’t anywhere near as popular as the hatch or sportback, but those who have bought one of the current examples are commonly reporting one big issue.
A quarter of owners said they’d experienced fuel system woes in the last 12 months.
Half of owners who experienced this fault reported that their car wasn’t safe to drive, while others couldn’t be started or broke down as a result of this fault.
Which contacted Audi about all three cars with a high volume of the same problems, but the German brand declined to comment.
The current BMW 1 Series hatchback has a high case of faults relating to exhaust or emission control components, which is particularly impacting newer versions of the diesel-engined variants
5. BMW 1 Series (2019-present), 0-4 years old
Exhaust/emission control system faults: 16% (5% avg across all 0-4 years cars)
If you’re in the market for a premium-branded family hatchback and don’t buy an Audi A3, there’s a very good chance you’re driving a BMW 1 Series instead.
But this German family motor also has one major issue that’s reported commonly by owners.
Again, it faults relating to exhaust or emission control components, which is particularly impacting newer versions of the diesel-engined variants, according to Which?’s survey results.
The fault affected more than three times as many cars than the average for all diesels of this age.
A third of owners who experienced this fault last year reported their car as being unsafe to drive.
Which?’s Car Reliability Survey found another BMW model is suffering an unusually high volume of exhaust and emission control system faults – the previous-generation 5 Series
6. BMW 5 Series Saloon (2017-2023), 5-9 years old
Exhaust/emission control system faults: 16% (5% avg across all 5-9 year cars)
Another BMW model to suffer an unusually high volume of exhaust and emission control system faults is the previous-generation 5 Series.
This luxury saloon isn’t a cheap motor but that doesn’t exempt it from having reliability issues.
However, over half of the owners who said their 5 Series suffered from this problem reported it as still be drivable.
In an official response issued to Which?, the German car giant said: ‘The BMW Group UK has a long term commitment to quality and quality control. Without further details relating to your statement regarding the three models in question, we are unfortunately unable to give a specific comment.’
Which? says exhaust and/or emission control system faults are predominantly an issue reported by drivers of earlier versions of the Mercedes C-Class Estate
7. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate (2014-2021), 5-9 years old
Exhaust/emission control system faults: 17% (5% avg across 5-9 years cars)
Another model from a premium car brand that’s impacted by a higher-than-average volume of specific fault is the previous-generation Mercedes C-Class Estate.
Which? says exhaust and/or emission control system faults are predominantly an issue reported by drivers of earlier versions.
That said, most cars with this issue (85 per cent) were reported as still being safe to drive.
A spokesman for Mercedes-Benz responded, saying: ‘At Mercedes-Benz, we continuously monitor the performance of our cars and pay particular attention to any issues that could have an impact on reliability and customer satisfaction.
‘We are unable to comment further on this generalised topic and the results of your survey without reviewing specific cases, the associated individual circumstances and the root cause of any reported malfunctions.’
A higher-than-average proportion of owners of first-generation VW Tiguans between 5-9 years old report they are suffering from suspension component and spring faults
8. Volkswagen Tiguan (2008-2016), 5-9 years old
Suspension faults: 22% (4% average across all 5-9 years cars)
Suspension spring faults: 13% (3% average across all 5-9 years cars)
The last of the premium cars with a higher-than-average volume of problematic issues is the original VW Tiguan dating back to 2008.
Owners of examples between 5 and 9 years old report they are suffering from unusually high instances of suspension component and spring faults, all of which affected far more owners than cars generally of this age.
With the spring fault, the vast majority of owners confirmed it resulted in their Tiguan being unsafe to drive. This figure was 50 per cent for the suspension component fault.
Volkswagen was contacted by Which? about the high fault rate but the brand failed to respond in time.
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