How are the least damaged cars ranked? Not only ADAC, DEKRA, TUV

When choosing a used car that is several years old, it is worth checking how it performed in the reliability ratings. In Europe, the three most important are all from Germany: ADAC, Dekra and TÜV. On what data are these claims based?

These ratings, also known as failure or error ratings, are commercial products that are simply made to be sold. By various parameters, they show which cars break down most often and which are the most expensive to repair.

In Europe, the most famous ratings are prepared by three institutes from Germany - the ADAC automobile club, the DEKRA automobile experts association and the TÜV technical inspection association. Each of these institutions prepares annual reports based on its own criteria and data sources. DEKRA and TÜV are involved in technical testing of vehicles. Both organizations record which models of cars they received for inspection, what defects were found in them and how many there were. On this basis reliability ratings are compiled. The number of inspections carried out by both organizations is tens of millions per year.

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DEKRA divides cars into market segments, and within them into groups depending on the mileage of the car. The division by mileage is as follows - up to 50 thousand. km, 50-100 thousand km. km and 100-150 thousand km. km. Car models with the highest percentage of serviceable units fall into the top lines of the rating. DEKRA only considers defects related to wear and tear of vehicle components, such as loose suspension or exhaust system corrosion. His specialists, however, do not take into account breakdowns caused by improper use of the car, such as bald tires or damaged windshield wipers. 

See also: Inspecting a used car before buying - what you need to remember? (PHOTOS) 

The most reliable cars according to DEKRA 2012

SMALL CARS

mileage up to 50000 km: Ford Fiesta

mileage 50000 - 100000 km: Toyota Yaris

mileage 100000 -150000 km: Mitsubishi Colt

COMPACT CARS

mileage up to 50000 km: Opel Astra

mileage 50000 - 100000 km: Toyota Prius

mileage 100000 - 150000 km: Volkswagen Jetta

MIDDLE CLASS CARS

mileage up to 50000 km: Opel Insignia

mileage 50000 - 100000 km: Audi A5

mileage 100000 - 150000 km: Audi A4

HIGH-END CARS

mileage up to 50000 km: Mercedes E-class

mileage 50000 - 100000 km: Volkswagen Phaeton

mileage 50000 - 150000 km: Audi A6

SPORTS CARS

mileage up to 50000 km: Mazda MX-5

Mileage 50000 - 100000 km: Audi TT

mileage 100000 - 150000 km: Porsche 911

SUVs

mileage up to 50000 km: Ford Kuga

mileage 50000 - 100000 km: Volkswagen Tiguan

mileage 100000 – 150000 km: BMW X5

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mileage up to 50000 km: Volkswagen Golf Plus

mileage 50000 - 100000 km: Suzuki SX4 (this is how DEKRA classifies this car)

mileage 100000 - 150000 km: Ford S-Max / Galaxy

The most reliable cars according to DEKRA 2013

Partial data is known from the DEKRA 2013 report. The figure is the percentage of vehicles without faults.

Cars with mileage up to 50000 km

SMALL CARS

Audi A1 - 97,1 percent.

COMPACT CARS

Ford Focus - 97,3 percent.

MIDDLE CLASS CARS

BMW 3 Series - 97,1 percent

HIGH-END CARS

Mercedes E-class - 97,4 percent

SPORTS CARS

BMW Z4 - 97,7 percent

SUVs / SUVs

BMW X1 - 96,2 percent

TYPE VAN VAN

Ford C-Max - 97,7 percent.

The best cars regardless of mileage

1. Audi A4 - 87,4 proc.

2. Mercedes class C - 86,7 percent

3. Volvo S80/V70 - 86,3 percent 

On the other hand, TÜV groups cars by age and determines the percentage of defective cars from the total number of cars of a given model and year of manufacture. The lower it is, the more reliable the model. The institution takes into account defects discovered during inspections that pose a serious threat to traffic safety. Cars are divided into the following groups: two and three years, four and five years, six and seven years, eight and nine years, ten and eleven years.

Least Accident Vehicles by TÜV (2013)

In parentheses is the percentage of cars with defects found during inspections.

TWO AND THREE YEAR CARS

1. Volkswagen Polo (2,2 percent), average mileage 32000 km.

2. Mazda3 (2,7%), average mileage 38000 km

3. Audi Q5 (2,8 percent), average mileage 61000 km.

FOUR AND FIVE YEAR CARS

1. Toyota Prius (4 percent), average mileage 63000 km.

2. Mazda 2 (4,8%), average mileage 48000 km.

3. Toyota Auris (5 percent), average mileage 57000 km.

CARS SIX AND SEVEN YEARS

1. Porsche 911 (6,2 percent), average mileage 59000 km.

2. Toyota Corolla Verso (6,6%), average mileage 91000 km.

3. Toyota Prius (7 percent), average mileage 83000 km.

EIGHT AND NINE YEAR CARS

1. Porsche 911 (8,8 percent), average mileage 78000 km.

2. Toyota Avensis (9,9%), average mileage 108000 km.

3. Honda Jazz (10,7%), average mileage 93000 km.

XNUMX-YEAR AND XNUMX-YEAR CARS

1. Porsche 911 (11 percent), average mileage 87000 km.

2. Toyota RAV4 (14,2%), average mileage 110000 km.

3. Mercedes SLK (16,9%), average mileage 94000 km.

See also: Buying these cars you will lose the least - high residual value 

The authors of the ADAC report do otherwise. When creating it, they rely on data collected by the largest road assistance network in Germany, which is managed by ADAC. These are reports of mechanics fixing cars that break down while driving. From the ADAC materials, we will not know which cars are most susceptible to corrosion and whether they have suspension problems. DEKRA and TÜV reports will be the best source here. But thanks to ADAC data, you can check which components of a given vehicle fail most often, such as the starter, ignition system or fuel injection.

ADAC 2012 Report - Most Reliable Vehicles

MINI CLASS

1. Ford Ka

2. Reno Twingo

3 Toyota Aygo

SMALL CARS

1. MINI

2. Mitsubishi Colt

3. Opel Meriva

LOWER-MIDDLE CLASS

1. Mercedes A-class

2. Mercedes class B

3. BMW 1 series

MIDDLE CLASS

1. Audi A5

2. Audi K5

3. BMW H3

TOP CLASS

1. Audi A6

2. BMW 5 series

3. Mercedes E-Class

vany

1. Volkswagen Transporter

2. Mercedes-Benz Vito / Viano

3. Fiat Ducato 

Bounce ratings are, of course, not only compiled in Germany. In the UK, for example, a report from the automotive magazine What Car is highly regarded. Its creators take into account, among other things, how many times a given car broke down in a certain time and what kind of breakdown was the most frequent. They also check the average cost and repair time. Thanks to this, you can also compare operating costs and network quality of service. The compilers of the annual What Car rating are based on the Reliability Index, prepared by the car insurance company Warranty Direct. This is a constantly updated ranking of the least accident cars. Thanks to it, you can check the percentage of failure of the most important components of a given car model (engine, brake system, suspension, etc.).

What was the list of the least damaged and cheapest to repair cars according to What Car in 2012? And also the worst cars?

MINI CLASS

Best Suzuki Alto 1997-2006, worst Daewoo Kalos successor to Matiz

CITY CARS

Best Vauxhall/Opel Agila ('00-'08), worst Mini Cooper ('01-'09)

COMPACT CARS

Best Volvo V40 ('96-'04), worst Mercedes A-Class ('98-'05)

MIDDLE CLASS CARS

Best Subaru Legacy ('03-'09), worst Skoda Superb ('02-'08)

HIGH-END CARS

Best Mercedes E-Class ('06–'09), Worst Vauxhall/Opel Signum ('03–'08)

MINIVES

Best Chevrolet Tacuma ('05-'09), worst Mercedes R-Class

SUV

Best Honda HR-V ('98-'06), worst Range Rover (02-)

COUPE

Best Hyundai Coupe ('02 -'07), worst Mercedes CL ('00 -'07).

According to the current reliability index, the 4,5-year-old Ford Fiesta is the least expensive and economical to maintain, ahead of the 6-year-old Mitsubishi Lancer and the nearly XNUMX-year-old Vauxhall/Opel Agila. Rounding out the list are Daewoo Matiz, Smart Fourfour and Fiat Bravo. It is worth remembering that the Reliability Index takes into account only those vehicles for which the Warranty Direct policy is offered. 

Read also: Best used cars under PLN 20 – comparison and photo 

Americans also have their ratings. Japanese brands lead the latest rankings from consumer organization JD Power and Associates. Three-year-old cars were taken into account, problems were reported by their owners. The report contains 202 different types of problems drivers have encountered. Characteristic is the division of cars into several segments, which does not always correspond to the European grouping. 

In a 2013 JD Power and Associates report, the least emergency are the following:

Toyota Prius (compact cars), Toyota RAV4 (SUVs), Acura RDX (high-end SUVs), Lexus RX (smaller high-end SUVs), Chevrolet Tahoe (large SUVs), Honda Crosstour (crossovers), Scion xB (compact minivans) ), Toyota Sienna (large vans), Mazda MX-5 (small sports cars), Nissan Z (sports cars), Chevrolet Camaro (large sports cars), Hyundai Sonata (mid-range), Lexus ES 350 (mid-top class). Audi A6 (upper class), Buick Lucerne (limousines), Ford Ranger (small pickups), GMC Sierra HD (large pickups.

According to the expert

Petr Korobchuk, car appraiser, coordinator of the National Group of Forensic Experts and Experts:

– Error ranking should be approached with caution. Of course, they are a kind of description of the condition of used cars, but remember that these statements are made mainly in Western Europe, where the condition of the roads is very different and the approach to maintenance issues is different. In our conditions, the issue of car reliability is also important, but even more important is the price. In my practice, I have not yet met a person trying to buy a used car in order to take into account the ADAC or TÜV rating. In the secondary market in Poland, the overall opinion of a given model received from friends, family or a friend of a mechanic is much more important. In Poland, for many years there has been a belief that German cars are the most reliable. This good assessment is confirmed by the fact that German cars make up the majority of used cars imported from abroad. If they broke, they certainly wouldn't break. 

Wojciech Frölichowski

Data sources: Samar, ADAC, TÜV, Dekra, Which car, Reliability index, JD Power and partners