Breakdown Mine Will!

BMW voted least reliable used car

GERMAN engineering used to be a guarantee of quality.

But those buying BMWs should be prepared for a bumpy ride, according to a study of the nation’s most reliable cars.

A poll of motorists found the BMW 1 Series is Britain’s least reliable used car – with the 5 Series not far behind. The survey by What Car? magazine saw a rating assigned to models based on how many faults were reported by drivers over the last year, as well as how expensive they were to repair.

Japanese cars dominated the top ten list of the most reliable cars, with the Toyota Yaris leading the way with a reliability rating of 99.1 per cent.

By contrast, the BMW 1 Series was

just 40.1 per cent. Almost six ix in ten (58 per cent) owners experienced ricne, a fault in the past year, particularly with the suspension or engine, the study found. As well as being relatively el common, the faults are also expensive to repair, What Car? said.

The BMW 5 Series was ranked ninth-worst, with a score of 60.8 per cent. Other models named and shamed over frequent mechanical problems include the Nissan Qashqai – the best- selling family car in the UK. Just 22 per cent of the vehicles had a reported mechanical fault in the past year, most often involving the battery and exhaust.

However, it received a particularly poor score because faults often prevented the car from being driven at all.

The Land Rover Discovery, driven by Prince William and the Queen, was also in the list of shame, with almost four in ten owners reporting problems which were often serious and expensive fix.

At the other end of the scale, seven of the ten most reliable cars were from Japanese makers.

The Yaris was followed closely by the Lexus CT with 98.8 per cent, and the Audi Q3 diesel in third place with a score of 96.5 per cent.

Almost one in ten (9 per cent) owners of the Yaris reported a fault, but these were limited to small ‘electrical niggles’ which were fixed in a day for nothing. Japan’s Mitsubishi ASX,

‘Huge scope for things to go wrong’

Lexus rX, honda Civic diesel and honda Jazz were also in the top ten.

the poll was open to owners driving models between four and ten years old who were asked to rate how reliable their cars have been and what problems they faced.

steve huntingford of What Car? said: ‘With nearly 8million 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.’

BMW declined to comment last night.