The German Automobile Club ADAC Reliability Index for 2023 rates 155 models of 20 car manufacturers between three and ten years old, of which at least 7,000 have been registered in Germany in some period between 2013 and 2020. The ADAC Reliability Index 2023 is calculated from the number of Yellow Angel roadside assistances in 2022 per 1,000 registered vehicles.
An important new feature of the current analysis is the inclusion of the reliability of electric vehicles. Four EVs have crossed the new threshold of at least 7,000 registrations (previously 10,000): The BMW i3 and Renault Zoe in the Subcompact category, the VW ID.3 in the Small family / Compact, and the Tesla Model 3 in the Large family / Mid-size.
In recent years, more than 40% of all failures have been caused by a dead battery. In the current year, the figure was 43.2%, 3.0% lower than the previous year. However, it is still by far the most common cause of yellow angel road assistance.
ADAC 2023 Reliability Index by vehicle segment
- City car / Mini-compact
- Supermini / Subcompact
- Small family / Compact
- Large family / Mid-size
- Executive / Full-size
- Vans
- Tip: The best and worst cars according to the TÜV Report 2023
- Tip: Dekra reliability after 100,000 km
The least reliable cars
In the first table, we selected the vehicles with the highest number of calls for assistance from drivers who involuntarily stayed on the road with their cars. The ADAC Reliability Index does not include cases where roadside assistance is called because of an empty tank or a flat tyre.
If you click on the car’s name, you will see its recalls.
The worst choice
| Model | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Forfour | — | 10,7 | 19,5 | 28,6 | 26,1 | 26,9 | — | — |
| Renault Clio | 10,0 | 13,1 | 14,5 | 16,4 | 25,5 | 34,7 | 31,7 | 22,2 |
| Mercedes Citan | — | 23,2 | 15,6 | 22,0 | 20,6 | 24,0 | 26,3 | — |
| Toyota C-HR | 22,3 | 31,7 | 29,9 | 23,1 | — | — | — | — |
| Ford S-Max | — | — | 19,7 | 25,9 | 42,0 | — | 17,0 | 17,5 |
| Opel Insignia | 9,6 | 13,4 | 20,8 | 28,1 | 36,4 | 28,0 | 24,5 | 27,2 |
| Seat Alhambra | 4,6 | 5,5 | 9,8 | 13,0 | 28,0 | 32,7 | 27,5 | 29,8 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 14,4 | 20,2 | 16,5 | 22,6 | 21,8 | — | — | — |
| Fiat Ducato | 21,9 | 22,5 | 16,9 | 19,3 | 26,3 | 34,0 | 42,3 | 42,7 |
The evaluation of the frequency of failures follows a colour scheme from dark green (very low) to red (very high). Cars with many model years in the green rating are less likely to be a source of problems, while cars with few model years in the red rating should be selected with caution. However, the Reliability Index should only be seen as a guide. The quality of a vehicle can vary from the statistical rating – both in a positive and negative sense.
The most reliable cars
The second table shows, on the other hand, the cars with very few roadside assistance calls in 2022. If you click on the car’s name, you will see its recalls.
The best choice
| Model | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suzuki Ignis | 1,2 | 1,2 | 1,3 | 3,3 | — | — | — | — |
| Toyota Aygo | 1,7 | 3,1 | 5,8 | 5,3 | 5,0 | 7,8 | 11,1 | 14,4 |
| Audi A1 | 1,5 | 3,6 | 2,9 | 2,6 | 4,1 | 5,7 | 8,5 | 8,1 |
| Mini | 0,7 | 0,9 | 2,9 | 7,8 | 13,1 | 7,5 | 7,2 | 9,4 |
| Suzuki Vitara | 1,0 | 1,5 | 2,2 | 2,0 | 5,5 | 5,7 | — | — |
| VW Polo | 1,7 | 2,4 | 3,4 | 5,3 | 9,3 | 12,7 | 14,5 | 14,8 |
| Audi A3 | 2,7 | 2,2 | 3,6 | 5,1 | 6,3 | 9,9 | 12,0 | 14,4 |
| BMW 1er | 1,3 | 2,2 | 2,8 | 2,6 | 4,5 | 5,8 | 9,9 | 10,6 |
| BMW X1 | 0,4 | 1,4 | 3,6 | 5,6 | 10,0 | 8,9 | 9,2 | 8,7 |
| BMW X2 | 0,6 | 1,3 | 2,8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mazda CX-3 | — | 3,3 | 3,9 | 3,0 | 5,3 | 6,9 | — | — |
| Mercedes GLA | 1,3 | 1,8 | 4,7 | 10,7 | 14,2 | 7,3 | 9,4 | — |
| Mitsubishi ASX | 1,6 | 2,2 | 1,6 | 4,9 | 8,6 | 6,8 | 11,4 | 11,0 |
| Mini Countryman | 0,7 | 1,0 | 2,7 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Seat Leon | 3,7 | 2,7 | 4,0 | 4,2 | 7,3 | 8,3 | 11,0 | 11,9 |
| Skoda Rapid | — | 6,3 | 3,2 | 3,5 | 4,9 | 9,9 | 12,6 | 13,1 |
| VW ID.3 | 0,2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| VW T-Roc | 1,4 | 1,8 | 1,8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Audi A4 | 1,0 | 1,8 | 2,5 | 3,5 | 4,3 | 5,9 | 5,6 | 5,8 |
| Audi A5 | 1,7 | 2,2 | 4,3 | 3,9 | 4,8 | 6,2 | 6,0 | 8,2 |
| Audi Q5 | 1,4 | 2,2 | 2,7 | 4,2 | 5,0 | 8,3 | 10,2 | 9,4 |
| BMW 3er | 0,8 | 2,0 | 3,1 | 3,9 | 4,6 | 5,9 | 10,1 | 9,9 |
| BMW 4er | — | 2,4 | 3,6 | 4,0 | 5,7 | 6,1 | 7,2 | — |
| BMW X3 | 1,1 | 0,8 | 2,6 | 2,4 | 2,5 | 4,1 | 4,6 | 5,5 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 1,1 | 0,9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Volvo XC60 | 1,5 | 1,6 | 4,4 | 6,7 | 7,2 | 9,1 | 14,4 | 17,8 |
| Audi A6 | 1,5 | 2,8 | 4,8 | 4,7 | 7,0 | 8,8 | 9,2 | 10,7 |
| BMW 5er | 1,0 | 1,3 | 3,5 | 5,0 | 4,2 | 7,5 | 9,3 | 13,6 |
| VW Touareg | 2,4 | 2,2 | 3,9 | 8,4 | 7,8 | 10,7 | 10,2 | 12,9 |
Legend: Number of breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles registered (= breakdown index) by year of first registration (EZ)
Source: ADAC
ADAC 2023 Reliability Index by vehicle segment
- City car / Mini-compact
- Supermini / Subcompact
- Small family / Compact
- Large family / Mid-size
- Executive / Full-size
- Vans