The German ADAC automobile association regularly publishes a car reliability index according to the number of breakdowns by its yellow angels and the number of defects that have occurred in broken cars.
In the statistics for 2020, all the 3,756,226 breakdowns of ADAC yellow angels and their partners in 2019 were recorded and evaluated. With a total of 113 models of 25 brands, there is enough data available to provide an objective picture of their reliability.
All the makes and models can be found here
A-segment / City car / Minicompact
The clear loser in this category is the Smart ForFour, which has had many defects, especially with the models produced in 2015 and 2016. Even the sibling Smart ForTwo from this period of production is not without faults. There are problems with the starter, automated shifting and battery. The Fiat 500 made in 2014 or 2015 is also not a good choice, it often has problems with the battery and shifting.
Smart ForFour
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
| | | | | 30,1 | 31,3 | 9,8 |
ForFour Recalls
Smart ForTwo
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
26,3 | 18,4 | 20,1 | 15,7 | 17,1 | 32,8 | 25,4 | 7,5 |
ForTwo Recalls
Fiat 500
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
27,2 | 27 | 25,9 | 23,4 | 26,8 | 29,5 | 17,1 | 7,1 |
Fiat 500 Recalls
Legend: Number of breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles registered (= breakdown index) by year of first registration (EZ)
B-segment / Supermini / Subcompact
The problem child in this category is the Hyundai i20 from 2011 to 2014. Most of the breakdowns in his case were due to defects in the ignition and spark plugs. The Opel Meriva from 2017 also has an alarming number of breakdowns. These are often associated with the cooling system: leaky hoses and defective water pumps.
Hyundai i20
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
28,5 | 40,8 | 45,9 | 47,2 | 31,5 | 9,7 | 4 | 3,1 |
Hyundai Recalls
Opel Meriva
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
28,8 | 25,2 | 27 | 21,9 | 22,1 | 16,6 | 11,9 | 12,7 |
Opel Meriva Recalls
Legend: Number of breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles registered (= breakdown index) by year of first registration (EZ)
C-segment / Small family / Compact
As in previous years, the Nissan Qashqai is a particularly bad choice. Problems occur in all the monitored production periods from 2010 to 2017. Kia Ceed from the 2011 has the highest total number of breakdowns this year. There is a wide range of different defects – so it is really difficult, if not impossible, to find a good used one. Other models from different production periods also performed badly: in alfabetical order – Ford C-MAX (2010), Ford Kuga (2012), Hyundai i30 (2010), KIA Sportage (2011), Peugeot 308 (2010-12), Renault Kangoo (2015) -17), and Renault Scénic (2014-15).
Nissan Qashqai
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
22,8 | 25,1 | 23,7 | 21,8 | 17,6 | 16,8 | 33,6 | 42,7 |
Nissan Qashqai Recalls
Kia Ceed
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
40,9 | 70,5 | 49,1 | 33,3 | 26,6 | 12 | 8,8 | 3,4 |
Kia Recalls
Ford C-Max
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
51,8 | 36 | 31,4 | 22,9 | 16,8 | 7,9 | 6,1 | 3,7 |
Ford C-Max Recalls
Ford Kuga
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
37,2 | 29,6 | 33,8 | 26,1 | 20,5 | 11,9 | 5,9 | 5,3 |
Ford Kuga Recalls
Hyundai i30
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
52,2 | 35,4 | 32,3 | 19,7 | 15,7 | 7,7 | 5,3 | 2,4 |
Hyundai i30 Recalls
Kia Sportage
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
| 52,4 | 30,5 | 23 | 18,6 | 13,3 | 4 | 1,6 |
Kia Sportage Recalls
Peugeot 308
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
47,1 | 44 | 37,6 | | 26,5 | 13,6 | 9,3 | 6,1 |
Peugeot 308 Recalls
Renault Kangoo
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
27,5 | 25,1 | 20,6 | 21,1 | 18,9 | 19,9 | 24 | 16,4 |
Renault Kangoo Recalls
Renault Scenic
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
35,4 | 33,5 | 25,2 | 18,7 | 28,6 | 27,7 | | 7,2 |
Renault Scénic Recalls
Legend: Number of breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles registered (= breakdown index) by year of first registration (EZ)
If you wish to know more about eventual problems of a specific car (e.g. real mileage, potential traffic accidents damages, odometer rollback, repairs, etc.), then we suggest going to HPI-Check.
Check the vehicle’s history
D-segment / Large family / Mid-size
The middle class also includes the MPVs Ford S-Max, Seat Alhambra and VW Sharan with a high frequency of breakdowns. With the Ford S-Max, not only does the battery fail frequently, but also the particle filter, the fuel pump or the generator. The poor result with the Seat Alhambra and VW Sharan is mostly caused by problems with the exhaust gas recirculation. The Opel Insignia from 2015-2016 is not a good choice either.
Ford S-Max
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
56,9 | 26,2 | 21,8 | 16,9 | 13,4 | | 20,9 | 10,8 |
Ford S-Max Recalls
Seat Alhambra
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
| | | 36,9 | 38,5 | 18,2 | 12,9 | 14,4 |
Seat Alhambra Recalls
VW Sharan
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
| 39 | 27,1 | 40,6 | 36,2 | 19 | 10,1 | 12,1 |
VW Sharan Recalls
Opel Insignia
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
38,7 | 35,4 | 29,2 | 31,7 | 26,1 | 29,5 | 22,6 | 10,7 |
Opel Insignia Recalls
Legend: Number of breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles registered (= breakdown index) by year of first registration (EZ)
E-segment / Executive / Full-size
The nine and ten-year-old Mercedes E-Classes have given off a bad picture. Problems with components such as the starter, the ignition lock and the battery add up to worn hoses and defects in the steering. The balance only improves the E-Classes from the year of production between 2013 and 2014.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
EZ 2010 | EZ 2011 | EZ 2012 | EZ 2013 | EZ 2014 | EZ 2015 | EZ 2016 | EZ 2017 |
59,3 | 49,1 | 31,8 | 17,7 | 12,1 | 10,9 | 7,2 | 1,7 |
Mercedes E-Class Recalls
Legend: Number of breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles registered (= breakdown index) by year of first registration (EZ)
All the makes and models can be found here
Source: ADAC
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