European study reveals the least reliable car manufacturers. Four manufacturers find themselves at the bottom of the ranking, including one with a particularly catastrophic score.
“Automotive reliability”: these two words are enough to make manufacturers shudder and ignite discussions at the counter. Between the neighbor who swears that his Japanese car has never had the slightest breakdown in fifteen years, and the aunt who defends her German sedan tooth and nail, who can we believe? The answer comes to us from the Netherlands, where the Consumentenbond association carried out the investigation with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker.
In collaboration with several European consumer organizations, the Dutch association unveiled an in-depth study at the start of 2024: no less than 30,000 European motorists questioned about their experience with vehicles produced between 2011 and early 2023. They had to detail the number and type of defects they had.
Like other studies on the subject, this report weights its data: a problem occurring on a recent vehicle carries more weight in the rating than the same breakdown on an older and worn model. The Consumentenbond association then drew up a ranking on a scale of 0 to 10. The best score being 9.6 and the worst 4.8.
Unsurprisingly, Asian manufacturers dominate the ranking. Lexus comes first, followed by Suzuki and Subaru. Toyota completes this Asian quartet with 8.5/10. This dominance is not new: for decades, Japanese manufacturers in particular have stood out for their excellent reliability, the result of a corporate culture focused on quality and sustainability.
Apart from Smart, in fifth place, the leading European brands only appear in tenth position with a score of 8.0/10. There we find BMW, DS Automobiles and Mini.
Last place also goes to a European manufacturer. Land Rover gets a catastrophic score of 4.8/10. The British brand is paying the high price for chronic problems particularly affecting the engine. Opel does a little better with 6.5/10 and ranks penultimate.
What is particularly striking in this study is the position of two French brands found just above in this ranking. Citroën and Peugeot, which obtain a mediocre score of 7.0/10, placing them among the 4 least reliable manufacturers in Europe. Engine and braking system problems are particularly singled out.
For Citroën, it is mainly older models that are dragging the brand down. Newer models have a rather high reliability score both in the Dutch association's ranking and in other reports, such as that of What Car magazine.
Interestingly, reliability is not necessarily correlated with customer satisfaction. Some brands poorly ranked in terms of reliability paradoxically maintain high satisfaction rates, their customers being seduced by other aspects such as design, comfort or performance. This is particularly the case for Tesla, a brand with the best satisfaction rating, but whose reliability is average.
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