The most and least reliable used cars according to TÜV Report 2025

Important: The latest reliability results are now available in a separate article: The Least and Most Reliable Used Cars (TÜV Report 2026)

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

Statistics show the failure rate for individual models, with failure rate being the average rate of defects found during an MOT inspection.

Cars up to 3 years old

Among young used cars, the most reliable cars are traditionally models from VW and Mercedes. Interestingly, the Hyundai Tucson SUV performed very well. Among the least reliable cars, we find the most models from Ford and Škoda.

✅ Most reliable cars under 3 years old

Place	Model	Failure rate	⌀ Mileage
1.	Honda Jazz	2.4 %	28 000 km
2.	VW Golf Sportsvan	2.5 %	31 000 km
3.	Audi Q2	2.6 %	33 000 km
3.	Porsche 911	2.6 %	21 000 km
5.	Mitsubishi ASX	2.7 %	40 000 km
6.	Mercedes-Benz B	2.9 %	36 000 km
6.	VW T-Roc	2.9 %	34 000 km
8.	Mercedes-Benz GLC	3.3 %	53 000 km
9.	VW e-Golf	3.4 %	32 000 km
10.	Hyundai Tucson	3.5 %	37 000 km
11.	Suzuki Vitara	3.5 %	33 000 km

❌ Least reliable cars under 3 years old

Place	Model	Failure rate	⌀ Mileage
1.	Tesla Model 3	14.2 %	53 000 km
2.	Ford Mondeo	13.2 %	72 000 km
3.	Škoda Scala	11.8 %	43 000 km
4.	Škoda Superb	11.3 %	70 000 km
4.	Ford S-Max	11.3 %	70 000 km
5.	Ford Focus	10.6 %	52 000 km
6.	VW Caddy	10.4 %	54 000 km
6.	Opel Crossland	10.4 %	28 000 km
7.	Peugeot 308	10.3 %	51 000 km
8.	VW Passat	10.1 %	70 000 km

Cars up to 5 years old

Porsche 911 reigns supreme among five-year-old used cars. Several Volkswagen models follow. On the other hand, the Tesla Model 3 and several Dacia and BMW models fared the worst.

✅ Most reliable cars under 5 years old

Place	Model	Failure rate	⌀ Mileage
1.	Porsche 911	3.1 %	29 000 km
2.	VW Golf Sportsvan	3.6 %	49 000 km
3.	VW T-Roc	4.0 %	53 000 km
4.	Audi Q2	4.5 %	53 000 km
4.	Mercedes-Benz B	4.5 %	50 000 km
5.	VW e-Golf	4.6 %	44 000 km
6.	Audi A3	5.0 %	60 000 km
7.	Hyundai ix20	5.0 %	40 000 km
7.	Mercedes-Benz GLC	5.0 %	69 000 km
8.	Toyota RAV4	5.1 %	61 000 km

❌ Least reliable cars under 5 years old

Place	Model	Failure rate	⌀ Mileage
1.	Tesla Model 3	19.7 %	74 000 km
2.	VW Sharan	18.5 %	83 000 km
3.	BMW 5/6	17.7 %	89 000 km
4.	BMW 2 Active Tourer	17.6 %	63 000 km
5.	Seat Alhambra	17.5 %	76 000 km
6.	BMW X1	17.4 %	61 000 km
7.	Dacia Logan	16.8 %	63 000 km
8.	Dacia Dokker	16.7 %	62 000 km
9.	Dacia Duster	16.2 %	58 000 km
10.	Opel Crossland	15.7 %	43 000 km

Cars up to 7 years old

The most reliable cars under 7 years old include the usual models. However, the least reliable cars include the popular MPVs VW Sharan and Seat Alhambra.

✅ Most reliable cars under 7 years old

Place	Model	Failure rate	⌀ Mileage
1.	Porsche 911	3.1 %	40 000 km
2.	VW T-Roc	6.0 %	72 000 km
3.	Mazda CX-3	6.6 %	69 000 km
4.	VW Golf Sportsvan	6.8 %	70 000 km
5.	Mercedes-Benz B	7.4 %	71 000 km
6.	Audi Q2	7.7 %	71 000 km
7.	Honda Jazz	8.4 %	57 000 km
7.	Seat Ateca	8.4 %	86 000 km
8.	Mazda 2	8.7 %	67 000 km
9.	Audi A3	9.1 %	89 000 km

❌ Least reliable cars under 7 years old

Place	Model	Failure rate	⌀ Mileage
1.	Dacia Dokker	26.5 %	89 000 km
2.	Dacia Duster	24.3 %	81 000 km
3.	BMW 5/6	23.6 %	111 000 km
4.	Dacia Logan	22.3 %	91 000 km
5.	BMW 2 Active Tourer	21.2 %	89 000 km
6.	Seat Alhambra	20.9 %	110 000 km
7.	VW Sharan	20.8 %	116 000 km
8.	BMW X5/X6	20.4 %	121 000 km
9.	Renault Zoe	19.9 %	61 000 km
10.	Dacia Sandero	19.7 %	69 000 km

Cars up to 9 years old

If you are looking for a reliable and cheap SUV, go for the Suzuki Vitara or Mitsubishi ASX. On the other hand, avoid the models from the Romanian brand Dacia.

✅ Most reliable cars under 9 years old

Place	Model	Failure rate	⌀ Mileage
1.	Porsche 911	4.0 %	51 000 km
2.	VW Golf Sportstvan	10.0 %	89 000 km
3.	Mazda 2	10.6 %	82 000 km
4.	Suzuki Vitara	11.0 %	95 000 km
5.	Mercedes-Benz B	11.1 %	91 000 km
6.	Mercedes-Benz ML/GLE	11.8 %	141 000 km
7.	Mercedes-Benz A	12.0 %	103 000 km
8.	Audi A3	12.7 %	113 000 km
9.	Honda Jazz	13.1 %	79 000 km
10.	Mitsubishi ASX	13.3 %	104 000 km

❌ Least reliable cars under 9 years old

Place	Model	Failure rate	⌀ Mileage
1.	Dacia Dokker	30.9 %	113 000 km
2.	Dacia Duster	29.7 %	101 000 km
3.	Dacia Sandero	28.6 %	89 000 km
4.	Dacia Logan	28.3 %	112 000 km
5.	BMW 5/6	27.9 %	159 000 km
6.	Renault Megane	26.1 %	122 000 km
7.	Ford Ka	25.8 %	76 000 km
8.	Renault Clio	25.7 %	90 000 km
9.	Citroen C3	24.8 %	82 000 km
10.	Ford Focus	24.2 %	122 000 km

Cars up to 11 years old

Among cars under 11 years old, small Mercedes models - specifically the A-class and B-class - surprised with very good results. Models from Dacia and Renault fared the worst.

✅ Most reliable cars under 11 years old

Place	Model	Failure rate	⌀ Mileage
1.	Porsche 911	5.6 %	65 000 km
2.	Mercedes-Benz A	14.7 %	120 000 km
3.	Mercedes-Benz B	14.8 %	108 000 km
4.	VW Touareg	15.1 %	176 000 km
5.	Audi A3	15.9 %	132 000 km
6.	VW Golf Plus	16.2 %	99 000 km
7.	Honda Jazz	16.6 %	94 000 km
8.	Mercedes-Benz ML/GLE	16.9 %	169 000 km
9.	Mitsubishi ASX	17.1 %	127 000 km
10.	Mini Cooper	17.3 %	103 000 km

❌ Least reliable cars under 11 years old

Place	Model	Failure rate	⌀ Mileage
1.	Dacia Logan	39.6 %	132 000 km
2.	Dacia Duster	34.1 %	122 000 km
3.	Renault Twingo	33.0 %	92 000 km
4.	Renault Megane	32.7 %	136 000 km
5.	Citroen C3	31.9 %	106 000 km
6.	Nissan Qashqai	31.2 %	130 000 km
7.	Nissan Micra	30.7 %	87 000 km
7.	Dacia Sandero	30.7 %	105 000 km
8.	Hyundai i30	30.5 %	120 000 km
9.	Ford Mondeo	30.4 %	184 000 km

Cars under 13 years old

Among the oldest used cars, the Mitsubishi ASX SUV, Audi Q5 and VW Touareg scored the highest. Dacia cars and several models from French car manufacturers fared the worst.

✅ Most reliable cars under 13 years old

Place	Model	Failure rate	⌀ Mileage
1.	Porsche 911	7.9 %	71 000 km
2.	Mitsubishi ASX	19.6 %	146 000 km
3.	VW Golf Plus	20.6 %	115 000 km
4.	Audi Q5	20.8 %	177 000 km
4.	VW Touareg	20.8 %	204 000 km
5.	BMW X1	21.0 %	148 000 km
6.	Mini Cooper	21.2 %	117 000 km
7.	Volvo XC60	21.9 %	194 000 km
8.	Toyota RAV4	22.1 %	145 000 km
9.	Audi Q3	22.6 %	142 000 km

❌ Least reliable cars under 13 years old

Place	Model	Failure rate	⌀ Mileage
1.	Renault Twingo	41.5 %	110 000 km
2.	Dacia Logan	41.0 %	146 000 km
3.	Renault Clio	39.8 %	116 000 km
4.	Dacia Sandero	39.4 %	118 000 km
5.	Renault Megane	36.5 %	148 000 km
6.	Nissan Qashqai	36.6 %	146 000 km
7.	Fiat Panda	36.2 %	102 000 km
8.	Peugeot 207	35.7 %	113 000 km
8.	Citroen C3	35.7 %	110 000 km
9.	Dacia Duster	35.6 %	135 000 km

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.

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Data on vehicle reliability was provided by our partner website Car-recalls.eu.