A major survey of more than 18,000 drivers by What Car? has found the number one most reliable used car, and the result may surprise you.

The What Car? report looked at owners of vehicles aged between four and ten years old, focusing on the types of problems encountered and if they were fixed under warranty.

The Toyota Yaris was voted as the most reliable used car, with those surveyed giving it a 99.1% reliability rating and only 9% of Yaris owners reported any fault at all, with only small electrical niggles reported.

Japanese cars performed admirably in the survey, claiming seven out of the top ten positions. The Lexus CT and Audi Q3 were second and third respectively in the survey, whilst Honda will have been delighted to claim three spots in the top ten with the Civic, CR-V and Jazz all getting reliability ratings well above 90%.

The 10 most reliable used cars

Make and Model	What Car? reliability rating
Toyota Yaris (2011 –present)	99.1%
Lexus CT (2011 – present)	98.8%
Audi Q3 diesel (2011 – 2018)	96.5%
Mitsubishi ASX (2010 – present)	96.3%
Seat Leon (2013 – present)	95.9%
Lexus RX (2009 – 2016)	95.4%
Honda Civic diesel (2012 – 2017)	95.0%
Honda CR-V (2012 – 2018)	94.6%
Honda Jazz (2008 – 2015)	94.2%
Volkswagen Touareg (2010 – 2018)	94.1%

Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, said: “Reliability is often at the forefront of any vehicle purchase. With nearly eight million used vehicles sold last year*, there is huge scope for things to go wrong. By shining a light on the reliability of various makes and models, we hope to help buyers make the right decision when choosing their next used purchase.”

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