The Most Reliable Family Cars

Last update 16. 02. 2024

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Among family cars, as What Car? refers to the compact segment, the BMW 1 Series from 2011 to 2019 took first place and an overall score of 98.7 per cent. In particular, the petrol-powered versions secured high marks – only six per cent of the cars broke down, while 30 per cent of those with turbocharged diesel engines did. The main problems? Air conditioning, exhaust, chassis and non-engine related electrical parts. But all of them were solved in a day and for free.

The dominance of the 1 Series was confirmed by the current generation, which finished third in the petrol version with a rating of 96.9 per cent. There were problems with the brakes or the fuel system, but all cars spent more than a week in the workshop. Wedged between the two BMWs was the current Hyundai i30 with 97.4 per cent, but also a generous warranty. Problematic are the brakes and transmission or clutch, the Brits say.

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The least reliable family cars

At the bottom of the table are the current generation Honda Civic, Vauxhall Astra and Mercedes A-Class. The latter scored just 84.8 per cent, with almost a third of the cars affected by some problem. Moreover, owners had to pay a hefty price to fix some of the faults. Problems were found in the non-engine electrics, the interior, or the air conditioning. The Astra (nearly a third broke down) was also plagued by non-engine electrics and battery or engine, gearbox or clutch faults. With the Civic, the fault occurred in a quarter of cases related to air conditioning, battery, bodywork, engine or non-engine electrical parts, among others.

Note: Due to the main focus of our website, we have also added a link to each model eventual recalls as well as other owner reviews on our page. You can add your review there too.

The most reliable family cars according to the What Car?

Rank	Make, Model	Years	Reliability	Reviews	Recalls
1	BMW 1 Series	2011-2019	98.7%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
2	Hyundai i30	2017-present	97.4%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
3	BMW 1 Series petrol	2019-present	96.9%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
4	Kia XCeed	2019-present	96.3%	Owners’ Reviews	No Recalls
5	Kia Ceed petrol	2012-2018	96.1%	Owners’ Reviews	No Recalls
6	Ford Focus petrol	2011-2018	96.0%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
7	Kia Ceed	2018-present	95.7%	Owners’ Reviews	No Recalls
8	Skoda Octavia petrol	2013-2020	95.5%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
9	Kia Ceed diesel	2012-2018	95.3%	Owners’ Reviews	No Recalls
10	Seat Leon petrol	2013-2020	95.1%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
11	Seat Leon diesel	2013-2020	94.9%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
12	Volkswagen Golf petrol	2013-2020	94.6%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
13	Mini Clubman	2015-present	94.3%		Recalls
14	Peugeot 308 petrol	2013-present	93.8%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
15	Mazda 3 petrol	2019-present	93.7%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
=16	Audi A3 petrol	2013-2020	93.6%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
=16	Skoda Octavia diesel	2013-2020	93.6%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
18	Volvo V40 petrol	2012-2019	93.0%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
19	Ford Focus	2018-present	90.5%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
20	Volkswagen Golf	2020-present	89.5%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
21	Volkswagen Golf diesel	2013-2020	89.4%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
22	Honda Civic	2017-present	87.8%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
23	Vauxhall Astra	2017-present	86.6%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls
24	Mercedes A-Class	2018-present	84.8%	Owners’ Reviews	Recalls