Range Rovers among UK’s least reliable cars

... but worst is electric Tesla, finds What Car? survey

THEY are leading examples of upmarket ‘Chelsea Tractor’ 4x4s.

But four models of Range Rover and Land Rover are among the most unreliable cars in the country, according to a survey.

A What Car? poll of more than 18,000 car owners, who rated 159 models between one and four years old, found the Range Rover was the second worst, with a reliability ranking of 67 per cent.

Half of these cars – which can cost from £30,000 to well over £100,000 – had a mechanical fault over the past year.

While non-engine electrics were the most common issue, 17 per cent reported suspension problems.

Nearly a third of the cars had to be taken off the road for more than a week.

The smaller Range Rover Evoque was fourth least reliable, scoring 73 per cent.

Almost half of owners (45 per cent) reported a mechanical fault over the past year. A faulty exhaust was the biggest issue.

Next on the list were the Land Rover Discovery Sport with 75 per cent and the Range Rover Sport with 76 per cent.

The worst performer, with a reliability rating of 51 per cent, was the California-built Tesla Model S electric car costing between £72,600 and £128,500.

Faulty parking sensors and broken door handles were the most common problems with the cars.

In joint top spot with 100 per cent reliability were the Toyota Yaris and Suzuki SX4 S-Cross.

They were followed by the Nissan Leaf, Toyota RAV 4x4, BMW 3 Series and Honda Jazz, on just under 100 per cent.

The Peugeot 2008 Estate and Volvo V60 Estate scored 99 per cent.

Jaguar Land Rover said: ‘We will learn from this data – we have instigated a number of quality measures and product updates.’

Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, said: ‘Reliability is a huge consideration for any car buyer, as it is likely to be your second biggest monthly expense after mortgage or rent payments. You want your car to last and you don’t want to have to fork out huge amounts to keep it running.’