Small cars continue to dominate the UK new vehicle market, with city cars and superminis accounting for the majority of sales. However, SUVs are gaining ground. A recent survey by What Car? reveals the most and least reliable small car models, highlighting the Ford Fiesta's strong performance despite its discontinuation.
In 2023, 30.4 per cent of all registrations in the UK were city cars or superminis as the most compact models continue to cater for those with the tightest budgets, especially new drivers, and motorists living in congested cities where space is at a premium.
The Ford Fiesta remains Britain's most common car, despite the fact it was axed in June 2023 to make way for the blue oval brand's next generation of electric vehicles. Like the Fiesta, 20 per cent of owners have seen their Yaris suffer a fault in the last two years, with the 12-volt battery again the primary problem.
Every car could still be driven despite having problems that needed to be rectified; however, half were in garages for over a week, meaning owners were either left without a vehicle or used courtesy cars. Warranties covered the repair costs for two thirds of the A1s with fault, though some drivers of earlier examples had to fork out up to £500 in garage bills.
The Honda Jazz feels like a permanent fixture in reliability league tables - it has always been the case since the first-generation car arrived in 2001. The fourth-generation BMW Mini Hatch arrived in 2024. While it is produced at the Mini Oxford plant in Cowley, the electric SE is being built in China. The hope is they can both replicate the strong reliability showing of the third-gen model, which What Car? has ranked as the fifth most dependable small motor.
Just one in ten i20 drivers said their car had suffered a fault in the previous 24 months, with the only areas of complaint being air-con issues and exhaust problems. Half of the complaints were about minor bodywork flaws that didn’t cause breakdowns - and were fixed in a day or less. Given the sixth-generation Polo has been in showrooms since 2018, some owners said their cars were no longer covered by the warranty. Still, of the 17 per cent who had to pay for repairs, none exceeded £50 per fault.Just 6% of Kia Picantos aged up to five years old had any issues.
Perfection. That's what Toyota Aygo X owners reported in terms of reliability of their Japanese city cars. A fifth of owners said their previous-generation Corsa had a fault. And the list of issues is quite mixed: brakes, engine, electrics, steering and suspension problems were highlighted.
Reliability Small Cars Ford Fiesta UK Car Market Suvs
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