Data release ·
Most reliable used cars 2026: BMW 5 Series has the best MOT record of the UK's most common used cars; Dacia Sandero the worst
The BMW 5 Series is the most reliable of the UK's most common used cars, 36% less likely to fail than the average car of the same age and mileage, according to CarComparison's analysis of 30.8 million 2024 MOT tests. The Dacia Sandero is the least reliable, 56% more likely to fail than the average car of the same age and mileage.
Key findings
- 28.5% of cars aged 3 to 20 failed their MOT first time in 2024, across 30,771,766 tests.
- Among the 83 models with at least 100,000 MOT tests, the BMW 5 Series scores 157 and the Dacia Sandero 64, where 100 is the average for a car of the same age and mileage.
- The top three: BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, Audi Q5. The bottom three: Dacia Sandero, Renault Clio, Peugeot 2008.
Most reliable common used cars
| # | Car | Score | Failed first time | MOT tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BMW 5 Series | 157 | 20.3% | 198,590 |
| 2 | Audi A6 | 155 | 20.9% | 122,625 |
| 3 | Audi Q5 | 153 | 16.6% | 106,524 |
| 4 | Land Rover Range Rover Sport | 148 | 20.3% | 117,153 |
| 5 | Land Rover Range Rover | 147 | 19.1% | 100,397 |
| 6 | Audi TT | 141 | 22.5% | 101,374 |
| 7 | MINI Countryman | 139 | 16.3% | 104,015 |
| 8 | BMW 4 Series | 138 | 16.4% | 103,945 |
| 9 | Audi Q3 | 137 | 16.9% | 126,119 |
| 10 | Land Rover Range Rover Evoque | 137 | 17.7% | 163,043 |
Least reliable common used cars
| # | Car | Score | Failed first time | MOT tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dacia Sandero | 64 | 31.6% | 103,287 |
| 2 | Renault Clio | 71 | 42.9% | 310,528 |
| 3 | Peugeot 2008 | 75 | 26.8% | 125,805 |
| 4 | Vauxhall Mokka | 76 | 29.1% | 227,798 |
| 5 | Renault Megane | 78 | 45.7% | 100,983 |
| 6 | Peugeot 208 | 78 | 29.4% | 202,735 |
| 7 | Peugeot 207 | 78 | 49.9% | 135,831 |
| 8 | Ford EcoSport | 78 | 21.9% | 100,016 |
| 9 | Citroen C4 | 78 | 40.4% | 133,993 |
| 10 | Fiat 500 | 79 | 32.1% | 334,216 |
Least reliable first.
Most reliable in each class
- City carsVolkswagen up!Score 109
- SuperminisHonda JazzScore 113
- Family hatchbacksAudi A3Score 124
- Large family carsVolkswagen PassatScore 122
- Executive carsBMW 5 SeriesScore 157
- Sports carsAudi TTScore 141
- Small SUVsAudi Q2Score 156
- Family SUVsVolkswagen T-RocScore 157
- Large SUVsAudi Q5Score 153
- People carriersVolkswagen TouranScore 110
Among models with at least 50,000 tests.
Notes for editors
- Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results for 2024 (Open Government Licence v3.0), cars aged 3 to 20. Each model's first-time failures are compared with the number expected for cars of the same age and mileage. Full method.
- Rankings in this release cover models with at least 100,000 tests; the full league ranks every model with 2,000 or more.
- Download every make and model (CSV). Free to reuse under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
- Credit: “Source: CarComparison (carcomparison.co.uk), analysis of DVSA MOT data”, linking to this page online.
- The score measures MOT failures, not breakdowns or running costs. A low score can reflect how a car is used or maintained as well as how it's built.