Most reliable city cars: 2024 MOT ranking
Figures updated
The Toyota iQ is the most reliable city car in DVSA's 2024 MOT results, with a reliability score of 139 (100 is average for a car of the same age and mileage): it is 28% less likely to fail than the average car of the same age and mileage. Next come the Suzuki Celerio (117) and the Volkswagen up! (109). The least reliable is the Smart (MCC) Forfour (75).
Across the 26 city cars we rank, 29.0% of 2,254,947 MOT tests ended in a first-time fail, against 28.5% for all cars.
City cars ranked by MOT reliability
| # | Model | Score | Failed first time | At 3 years | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota iQ | 139 | 24.8% | – | 16,909 |
| 2 | Suzuki Celerio | 117 | 15.4% | – | 27,563 |
| 3 | Volkswagen up! | 109 | 20.3% | 9.7% | 123,567 |
| 4 | Skoda Citigo | 107 | 20.6% | – | 52,397 |
| 5 | SEAT MII | 102 | 22.4% | 13.2% | 18,563 |
| 6 | Peugeot 108 | 101 | 18.0% | 8.5% | 75,867 |
| 7 | Toyota Aygo | 99 | 24.6% | 9.0% | 256,136 |
| 8 | Vauxhall Viva | 98 | 17.8% | – | 38,277 |
| 9 | Smart (MCC) Fortwo | 96 | 27.9% | – | 44,766 |
| 10 | Suzuki Ignis | 96 | 19.4% | 6.4% | 26,836 |
| 11 | Citroen C1 | 93 | 30.7% | 8.0% | 167,705 |
| 12 | Peugeot 107 | 93 | 37.9% | – | 113,685 |
| 13 | Hyundai i10 | 86 | 27.5% | 15.5% | 244,250 |
| 14 | Suzuki Alto | 86 | 34.5% | – | 47,745 |
| 15 | Vauxhall Agila | 86 | 38.3% | – | 33,035 |
| 16 | Fiat Panda | 84 | 35.5% | 10.0% | 88,895 |
| 17 | Ford Ka | 84 | 33.0% | – | 177,330 |
| 18 | Suzuki Splash | 83 | 37.4% | – | 17,617 |
| 19 | Abarth 595 | 82 | 20.7% | 12.5% | 18,027 |
| 20 | Volkswagen FOX | 82 | 48.3% | – | 26,108 |
| 21 | Kia Picanto | 81 | 29.5% | 12.1% | 181,715 |
| 22 | Fiat 500 | 79 | 32.1% | 12.1% | 334,216 |
| 23 | Fiat 500C | 78 | 34.2% | – | 17,076 |
| 24 | Renault Twingo | 76 | 38.2% | – | 24,926 |
| 25 | Vauxhall Adam | 76 | 30.0% | – | 59,036 |
| 26 | Smart (MCC) Forfour | 75 | 26.7% | – | 22,700 |
Every version of each model tested in 2024, aged 3 to 20. Models with fewer than 10,000 tests are left out. How the score works.
Compare city cars
Reliability is one part of it: see price, boot space, safety and running costs side by side.
Most reliable cars by type
Frequently asked questions
›What is the most reliable city car?
The Toyota iQ, going by 2024 MOT results: it scored 139 in our MOT Reliability League, where 100 is average for a car of the same age and mileage, and 24.8% failed their MOT first time.
›What is the least reliable city car?
The Smart (MCC) Forfour, with a score of 75. 26.7% failed their MOT first time, against 29.0% for city cars as a whole.
›How do you measure reliability?
From every MOT test DVSA published for 2024. Older, higher-mileage cars fail more, so each model is compared with cars of the same age and mileage: a score of 125 means it fails a fifth less often than expected, and 80 means a quarter more often.
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests 2024, Open Government Licence v3.0. Classes are our own grouping.