Car of the Year Awards 2025: Reliability Award

Reliability rating 98.3%

Mini toppled Lexus from the top spot for reliability in 2024 with reliability ratings of 96% or higher for all five models reported on in our survey: the Mini hatchback, Mini Electric, Clubman, Convertible and Countryman. It had the lowest fault rate of all 31 brands included in the latest survey; overall, just 7% of Mini owners told us any issues had arisen with their cars.

Mini was also one of the best brands for swift fixes; 43% of faults were resolved in a day or less, meaning minimal inconvenience for owners. All of the affected Minis remained driveable, and the most common faults were minor bodywork glitches, although there were a small percentage of reports of issues with electrical systems, including the infotainment.  

Although Mini dealers fixed only 69% of faults for free, most repair bills were below £200 and all were below £500, keeping ownership costs down to a reasonable level.

The shining star of the range was the Countryman, with a rating of 99.7%, making it the highestscoring SUV. Just 2% of those we were told about went wrong, with bodywork issues that were fixed for free in less than a week. Mini also showed that going electric is no barrier to producing dependable models.

The Mini Electric was the second highestrated EV, with a score of 98.4%. Only 5% of the Mini Electrics reported on had niggles with their 12-volt batteries or motor electrics. While it took up to a week to rectify these faults, all cars remained driveable, and all were fixed at  no cost to owners. 

2nd - Lexus

Reliability rating 97.9%

After six years in first place in this category, the Japanese luxury brand owned by Toyota was relegated to second place in 2024. However, it’s an extremely good choice if you’re after a dependable car.

Alongside Toyota, it was the only brand to have a model with a 100% reliability rating:  the 2014-2021 Lexus NX. Overall, only 9% of the Lexus models we were told about had any issues, and the manufacturer covered the  cost of 83% of problems, leaving the remaining owners with bills of less than £200 per fault. Most remedial work was done in a day or less. 

3rd - Suzuki

Reliability rating 97.7%

Suzuki is a frequent high flyer in our reliability survey, and it wasn’t far behind the top two brands in 2024, with an overall rating that was less than 1% behind the winner. It had a low fault rate of 8%, and it proved good at helping customers to keep costs down.

The brand paid for 75% of remedial work and, when owners were asked to pay, most bills were below £200. The only less impressive statistic was that 50% of faults took more than a week to rectify. Suzuki’s highest-scoring model was the Vitara SUV, with a reliability rating of 97.7%.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here

See all of our 2025 Car of the Year Awards winners >>