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The Least and Most Reliable Used Cars (TÜV Report 2026)

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Which cars are considered reliable according to our German colleagues? Japanese cars traditionally perform well, but watch out for Dacia and Tesla.

The German company TÜV has released its traditional reliability statistics for used cars. The figures come from technical inspections conducted at German MOT stations. It should be noted that TÜV is not the only MOT operator in Germany, but in terms of the number of vehicles inspected, it is one of the largest.

The statistics show the failure rate of individual models, with failure rate referring to the average number of defects found during the MOT inspection.

🥇 Most reliable cars across all age categories

  • Mercedes-Benz B-Class: Ranked in the TOP 10 in all categories.
  • Volkswagen Golf Sportsvan: Ranked in the TOP 3 in three categories.
  • Mazda: Models Mazda 2, CX-3, and Mazda 3 show very good reliability.
  • Suzuki Vitara: An affordable and very reliable car.
  • Audi Q2: Regularly ranks in the TOP 10.

⚠️ Least reliable cars across all age categories

  • BMW 5 / 6 Series: A complete failure in many categories, with failure rates up to 32%.
  • Dacia Duster / Sandero: Cheaply built cars that become very unreliable after 6 years.
  • Renault (Clio, Twingo, Mégane): Worst performers in the 12 to 13-year category.
  • BMW (various models): Complex technology leads to low reliability.
  • Tesla Model Y / Model 3: Both popular models show many defects.

Cars up to 3 years old

✅ Most reliable cars from 2 to 3 years old

Place Model Failure rate ⌀ mileage
1. Mazda 2 2,9 % 29 000 km
2. Mercedes-Benz B 3,0 % 41 000 km
3. Volkswagen T-Roc 3,0 % 37 000 km
4. Toyota Yaris Cross 3,2 % 32 000 km
5. BMW 1/2 3,3 % 41 000 km
6. Mini Cooper SE 3,5 % 27 000 km
7. Audi Q3 3,9 % 46 000 km
8. Kia Sportage 4,0 % 38 000 km
9. Audi Q4 e-tron 4,0 % 42 000 km
10. Volkswagen Touareg 4,1 % 59 000 km

❌ Least reliable cars from 2 to 3 years old

Place Model Failure rate ⌀ mileage
1. Tesla Model Y 17,3 % 55 000 km
2. Ford Mondeo 14,3 % 76 000 km
3. Tesla Model 3 13,1 % 56 000 km
4. Dacia Spring 13,0 % 26 000 km
5. Renault Mégane 11,8 % 50 000 km
6. Ford S-Max 11,8 % 67 000 km
7. Opel Crossland X 10,0 % 30 000 km
8. Opel Astra 9,9 % 54 000 km
9. Volkswagen Caddy 9,8 % 61 000 km
10. Škoda Superb 9,6 % 77 000 km

Cars up to 5 years old

✅ The most reliable cars aged 4 to 5 years

Place Model Failure rate ⌀ mileage
1. VW Golf Sportsvan 4,0 % 52 000 km
2. Volkswagen T-Roc 4,0 % 55 000 km
3. Audi Q2 4,5 % 54 000 km
4. Mercedes-Benz GLC 4,8 % 73 000 km
5. Mazda 2 4,9 % 47 000 km
6. Opel Corsa-e 5,0 % 34 000 km
7. Mercedes-Benz B 5,1 % 55 000 km
8. Peugeot 2008 5,4 % 50 000 km
9. Volkswagen ID.3 5,5 % 44 000 km
10. Audi A4/A5 6,0 % 84 000 km

❌ The least reliable cars aged 4 to 5 years

Place Model Failure rate ⌀ mileage
1. BMW 5/6 21,5 % 92 000 km
2. Tesla Model 3 21,0 % 86 000 km
3. BMW 2 Active Tourer 20,6 % 66 000 km
4. Mini 19,8 % 50 000 km
5. BMW X1 19,8 % 66 000 km
6. Volkswagen Sharan 19,1 % 83 000 km
7. BMW 1/2 18,6 % 61 000 km
8. Seat Alhambra 18,2 % 79 000 km
9. BMW 3/4 17,8 % 85 000 km
10. Opel Crossland X 17,0 % 46 000 km

Cars up to 7 years old

✅ The most reliable cars aged 6 to 7 years

Place Model Failure rate ⌀ mileage
1. Volkswagen T-Roc 6,7 % 76 000 km
2. VW Golf Sportsvan 6,9 % 69 000 km
3. Audi Q2 7,5 % 74 000 km
4. Škoda Karoq 7,8 % 85 000 km
5. Mazda CX-3 7,9 % 70 000 km
6. Suzuki Swift 8,4 % 70 000 km
7. Audi A3 8,5 % 87 000 km
8. Škoda Kodiaq 8,7 % 110 000 km
9.  Suzuki Vitara 8,7 % 78 000 km
10. Mercedes-Benz B 9,1 % 75 000 km

❌ The least reliable cars aged 6 to 7 years

Place Model Failure rate ⌀ mileage
1. Dacia Duster 23,5 % 78 000 km
2. BMW 5/6 22,3 % 124 000 km
3. Volkswagen Sharan 21,7 % 115 000 km
4. Nissan Micra 21,5 % 66 000 km
5. Renault Zoe 21,4 % 66 000 km
6. BMW X5/X6 20,8 % 124 000 km
7. Seat Alhambra 20,6 % 107 000 km
8. BMW 2 Active Tourer 20,3 % 90 000 km
9. Opel Crossland X 20,1 % 61 000 km
10. Citroen Berlingo 20,0 % 99 000 km

Cars up to 9 years old

✅ The most reliable cars aged 8 to 9 years

Place Model Failure rate ⌀ mileage
1. Mazda CX-3 9,7 % 86 000 km
2. VW Golf Sportsvan 10,3 % 92 000 km
3. Mercedes-Benz B 11,0 % 90 000 km
4. Seat Ateca 11,1 % 112 000 km
5. Suzuki Vitara 11,4 % 104 000 km
6. Mazda 2 11,9 % 89 000 km
7. Audi A3 12,3 % 114 000 km
8. Mercedes-Benz GLE/ML 12,3 % 143 000 km
9. Mercedes-Benz A 12,7 % 105 000 km
10. Volkswagen Golf 14,1 % 120 000 km

❌ The least reliable cars aged 8 to 9 years

Place Model Failure rate ⌀ mileage
1. BMW 5/6 29,9 % 163 000 km
2. Dacia Duster 29,8 % 101 000 km
3. Dacia Sandero 27,8 % 87 000 km
4. BMW X5/X6 27,4 % 153 000 km
5. Ford Focus 26,1 % 124 000 km
6. Citroen Berlingo 25,3 % 118 000 km
7. Renault Clio 24,8 % 91 000 km
8. Nissan Micra 24,4 % 74 000 km
9. Ford Fiesta 24,3 % 93 000 km
10. Fiat 500 23,5 % 72 000 km

Cars up to 11 years old

✅ The most reliable cars aged 10 to 11 years

Place Model Failure rate ⌀ mileage
1. Mercedes-Benz B 13,9 % 108 000 km
2. Mercedes-Benz GLE/ML 15,2 % 170 000 km
3. Mercedes-Benz A 15,4 % 124 000 km
4. Volkswagen Touareg 15,5 % 176 000 km
5. Audi A3 16,2 % 135 000 km
6. VW Golf Plus 16,4 % 99 000 km
7. Mitsubishi Space Star 16,5 % 93 000 km
8. Mini Cooper 17,0 % 102 000 km
9. Volkswagen Golf 17,4 % 139 000 km
10. Audi Q5 18,1 % 163 000 km

❌ The least reliable cars aged 10 to 11 years

Place Model Failure rate ⌀ mileage
1. Dacia Duster 34,2 % 123 000 km
2. Renault Twingo 32,1 % 92 000 km
3. BMW 5/6 32,1 % 187 000 km
4. Renault Mégane 31,7 % 138 000 km
5. Dacia Sandero 31,5 % 105 000 km
6. Citroen C3 30,7 % 101 000 km
7. Hyundai i30 30,1 % 127 000 km
8. Kia Ceed 29,6 % 129 000 km
9. Ford Mondeo 29,6 % 182 000 km
10. Citroen Berlingo 29,6 % 142 000 km

Cars up to 13 years old

✅ The most reliable cars aged 12 to 13 years

Place Model Failure rate ⌀ mileage
1. Volkswagen Touareg 17,9 % 204 000 km
2. Mercedes-Benz B 19,0 % 124 000 km
3. Mercedes-Benz GLE/ML 19,3 % 193 000 km
4. Mini Cooper 20,8 % 117 000 km
5. Mazda 3 20,9 % 128 000 km
6. VW Golf Plus 21,2 % 116 000 km
7. BMW X1 22,1 % 151 000 km
8. Audi Q3 22,7 % 148 000 km
9. Volvo XC 60 22,7 % 197 000 km
10. Audi Q5 24,4 % 134 000 km

❌ The least reliable cars aged 12 to 13 years

Place Model Failure rate ⌀ mileage
1. Renault Clio 40,4 % 121 000 km
2. Renault Twingo 40,0 % 112 000 km
3. Dacia Sandero 38,1 % 117 000 km
4. Nissan Qashqai 37,6 % 149 000 km
5. Renault Mégane 37,4 % 153 000 km
6. Citroen C3 37,0 % 112 000 km
7. Hyundai i30 36,1 % 138 000 km
8. Kia Sportage 35,6 % 146 000 km
9. Fiat Panda 35,5 % 100 000 km
10. Dacia Duster 35,4 % 136 000 km

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Buying a used car? ⚠️ Check its history!

Even a reliable car can become a nightmare if you don't check it thoroughly before buying it. The car's history will tell you the most about how and where the vehicle was used, whether it was damaged, or whether someone has tampered with its odometer.

You can easily check the history of a used vehicle in the largest database of used vehicle records in Europe at Cebia.com.

🌍 The system allows you to check a wide range of important information:

  • Vehicle damage history
  • Mileage history
  • Vehicle photos
  • Theft check
  • Taxi check
  • Age and origin check
  • Recalls
  • and much more

Check vehicle history:

💰 Tip: Want to get a 10% discount on Car History Report? Simply subscribe to our newsletter and we’ll immediately send the discount to your email -> Subscribe.

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DE version: Die unzuverlässigsten und zuverlässigsten Gebrauchtwagen - TÜV-Report 2026
SK version: Najmenej a najviac spoľahlivé jazdenky podľa TÜV Report 2026
RO version: Cele mai puțin și cele mai fiabile mașini rulate - Raportul TÜV 2026
CZ version: Nejméně a nejvíce spolehlivé ojetiny dle TÜV Report 2026