by The Spanish Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) conducted a large study to determine the most reliable car brands available on the European market. The survey covered nearly 30,000 car owners from nine European countries who shared their experience with 276 car models. According to AutoPortal, the results of the study once again confirmed the dominance of Japanese car manufacturers in the reliability ranking. The absolute leader was the Lexus brand, which scored 98 out of 100 possible points. Suzuki and Subaru tied for second and third place with 93 points each. Toyota took the fourth position with 91 points, while the Spanish brand CUPRA tied at fifth place with the same score. The top 10 most reliable brands also included: KIA – 89 points, Smart – 89 points, Honda – 89 points, Mitsubishi – 89 points, Nissan – 87 points, and Mazda – 87 points. It is worth noting that only CUPRA and Smart from European brands made it to the list, while the rest of the positions were occupied by Asian manufacturers, mostly Japanese. The least reliable car brand according to the study turned out to be Land Rover, which scored only 64 points. Citroën, Peugeot, and Opel, which is currently part of the French PSA Group, also made it to the list of less reliable brands. The study also shed light on key criteria that influence car buyers’ choices. At the top of the priorities is reliability, mentioned by 39% of respondents. Other important factors include engine size and type, fuel consumption, price, fuel type, design, and brand prestige. In addition to the overall brand rating, OCU identified the most reliable car models on the European market, including: Fiat Panda (from 2012), Suzuki Ignis (from 2017), Lexus NX (2014-2021), Tesla Model Y (from 2021), BMW i3 (2014-2023), Ford Kuga (from 2019), Mitsubishi Outlander (2013-2022), Audi A8 (from 2018, petrol version), Volkswagen T-Cross (from 2018), Mazda CX-5 (from 2017), Suzuki S-Cross/SX4 (2013-2021), Audi Q5 (from 2016, diesel version), and BMW 2 Series (2013-2021, diesel version). Interestingly, cars with HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) technology, where the battery charges from the internal combustion engine while in motion, demonstrated the least susceptibility to breakdowns.
