Most reliable executive cars: 2024 MOT ranking
Figures updated
The Audi A7 is the most reliable executive car in DVSA's 2024 MOT results, with a reliability score of 178 (100 is average for a car of the same age and mileage): it is 44% less likely to fail than the average car of the same age and mileage. Next come the BMW 6 Series (158) and the BMW 5 Series (157). The least reliable is the Tesla Model 3 (93).
Across the 16 executive cars we rank, 23.6% of 2,142,598 MOT tests ended in a first-time fail, against 28.5% for all cars.
Executive cars ranked by MOT reliability
| # | Model | Score | Failed first time | At 3 years | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Audi A7 | 178 | 15.8% | 12.0% | 16,860 |
| 2 | BMW 6 Series | 158 | 20.6% | – | 22,062 |
| 3 | BMW 5 Series | 157 | 20.3% | 11.9% | 198,590 |
| 4 | Audi A6 | 155 | 20.9% | 9.5% | 122,625 |
| 5 | BMW 4 Series | 138 | 16.4% | 13.1% | 103,945 |
| 6 | Audi A5 | 135 | 22.0% | 12.7% | 124,169 |
| 7 | BMW 3 Series | 134 | 24.5% | 14.0% | 453,392 |
| 8 | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 133 | 22.5% | 13.3% | 230,974 |
| 9 | Mercedes-Benz CLS | 127 | 26.3% | – | 23,599 |
| 10 | Jaguar XF | 126 | 25.4% | 13.8% | 97,981 |
| 11 | Audi A4 | 125 | 27.1% | 11.8% | 244,913 |
| 12 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 120 | 25.5% | 13.1% | 362,136 |
| 13 | Jaguar XE | 113 | 19.0% | 17.6% | 43,689 |
| 14 | Mercedes-Benz CLK | 111 | 39.1% | – | 22,032 |
| 15 | Jaguar X-Type | 104 | 41.9% | – | 21,328 |
| 16 | Tesla Model 3 | 93 | 16.5% | 15.9% | 54,303 |
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 executive 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 executive car?
The Audi A7, going by 2024 MOT results: it scored 178 in our MOT Reliability League, where 100 is average for a car of the same age and mileage, and 15.8% failed their MOT first time.
›What is the least reliable executive car?
The Tesla Model 3, with a score of 93. 16.5% failed their MOT first time, against 23.6% for executive 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.