Last update 16. 02. 2024
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The previous-generation Dacia Sandero is taking the top spot of the British motoring magazine What Car? Survey. The Romanian supermini achieved a full 100 per cent rating. According to British drivers, it simply doesn’t break down, with two-thirds of owners even considering reliability to be the cheap model’s best feature.
Behind the Sandero is the last-generation Hyundai i10, first introduced in 2013. It achieved 99.6%, and the fault was virtually limited to the steering. A third was the current-generation Suzuki Swift, which earned a rating of 99.3%, with problems occurring in the air conditioning over the past year.
The least reliable small cars
At the other end of the 17-strong ranking are the current-generation Seat Ibiza, Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta, which came in at just 74.9 per cent. More than a third of all Fiestas in the survey have broken down, and up to 40 per cent have spent more than a week in the workshop. Problems were found in the chassis, engine, battery or steering. With the Polo, where almost half of the cars had a fault, the problems were in the engine and its electrics, or the air conditioning and interior. With Ibiza, the problems were in the bodywork and the air conditioning, engine, non-engine electrics or transmission or clutch.
- 10 most reliable cars according to the Driver Power 2021
- 16 least reliable cars according to ADAC (2021)
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 small cars according to the What Car?
| Rank | Make, Model | Years | Reliability | Reviews | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dacia Sandero | 2013-2020 | 100% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 2 | Hyundai i10 | 2014-2020 | 99.6% | Owners’ Reviews | No Recalls |
| 3 | Suzuki Swift | 2017-present | 99.3% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 4 | Hyundai i20 | 2015-2020 | 99.0% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 5 | Honda Jazz | 2015-2020 | 98.1% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 6 | Mini Hatchback petrol | 2014-present | 96.9% | Recalls | |
| 7 | Ford Fiesta petrol | 2008-2017 | 95.0% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 8 | Volkswagen Up! | 2012-present | 94.8% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 9 | Renault Clio | 2013-2019 | 94.3% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 10 | Kia Rio petrol | 2017-present | 94.0% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 11 | Kia Picanto | 2017-present | 93.9% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 12 | Audi A1 petrol | 2018-present | 92.2% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 13 | Skoda Fabia | 2015-present | 91.7% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 14 | Vauxhall Corsa | 2014-2019 | 90.6% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 15 | Seat Ibiza | 2017-present | 90.5% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 16 | Volkswagen Polo | 2018-present | 80.6% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
| 17 | Ford Fiesta | 2017-present | 74.9% | Owners’ Reviews | Recalls |
Source: whatcar.com
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- TÜV Report 2021 – Dacia in trouble, Opel and Hyundai in the top 10
- These 14 cars had the most recalls in 2020
- Do you know the year your car was made? You most probably don’t
Currently 5116 Recalls