1ST LEXUS Reliability rating 98.7%

If you’re a gambler looking for a safe bet, putting your money on Lexus topping the annual What Car? Reliability Survey is about as good as it gets. Toyota’s luxury brand has now finished first in our chart for newer models for five consecutive years, with Lexus owners telling us their cars suffered hardly any faults. Meanwhile, those that did surface were fixed swiftly and cheaply.

Overall, just 6% of the Lexus models aged up to five years old that we were told about went wrong, and 65% of those were put right in a day or less. Most of the remaining cars had their faults rectified in less than a week.

Just as positive is that most of the defects reported were minor, as is evidenced by the fact that a mere 3% of cars were rendered undriveable. Faults reported related to the 12-volt battery, bodywork, interior trim and the non-engine electrical system. Notably, there were no major mechanical faults reported; despite the complex hybrid systems under the bonnets of all the Lexus models surveyed, the electric motor, engine, gearbox and suspension proved trouble-free.

There’s almost as much good news when it comes to repair bills, with 77% of cars fixed for free, even though many were outside of the manufacturer’s warranty. Those owners who did have to contribute towards costs were only charged between £100 and £200.

The Lexus UX SUV fared especially well; it was the highest-scoring hybrid in our survey, with an almost perfect reliability rating of 99.8%. A mere 5% of UX owners reported a fault with their car, and all those that did go wrong were back from the workshop in less than a week, with all the work done for free.

‘OF THE FEW CARS THAT DID SUFFER A FAULT, THE MAJORITY WERE FIXED FOR FREE’