Test Achats and its European counterparts conducted a survey of 60,000 car owners on the continent, about the problems they were having with their cars. And it turns out that the least reliable brand is Tesla, a famous electric model designed in the United States.
Most of the problems encountered in general by the respondents (17% of the faults reported) concern the electrical functions such as the battery, headlights, windows and central locking, continues Test Achats in this post. Slightly fewer cars (13% of problems) had to be taken to the garage because the brakes no longer functioned optimally. The leading trio of breakdowns is supplemented by problems of combustion engine.
The car brand with the fewest problems is Lexus, followed by almost all Asian cars:
Only 6% of Lexus drivers had to return to the garage due to a defect during the warranty period. Lexus – Toyota’s luxury brand – also led the overall ranking of the most reliable cars in the previous two editions of our survey (2020 and 2018). Toyota itself and most of the other Japanese brands are once again at the top of the rankings. “If you are looking for a reliable car, then go for a Japanese car”, advises Test Achats.
The best European cars are quite far behind. And the top ranked European brand isn’t even Mercedes or BMW, but Seat. “Equally remarkable is the fact that at the bottom of the rankings there are three very expensive brands: Jaguar, Land Rover and Tesla. Elon Musk’s electric car has the lowest score of any brand. Paradoxically, these are Tesla owners who are the most satisfied drivers on our roads. Apparently, they are ready to endure the childhood illnesses of their vehicle, “concludes the association for the defense of consumers.
Finally, be aware that the models that have the most problems are almost always diesels. Among the most reliable models, we find mainly gasoline or hybrid models.