Reliability Survey: Most and least reliable small SUVs

Some of the best-selling new cars in the UK are small SUVs, and they're very sought-after on the secondhand market. The good news is that this car class is proving robust.

In fact, small SUVs are the second highest scoring models in our latest annual Reliability Survey, with a reliability rating of 93.7%, which is less than one percentage point behind the best class, small cars.

Although they're not the roomiest cars on sale, they tend to have chunky styling and some have fairly high driving positions. This year's top performers are the 2017-2024 Mini Countryman and the current Audi Q2. 

How the survey was carried out

To compile the annual What Car? Reliability Survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, we ask thousands of car owners to tell us how dependable their cars have been over the previous 24 months. The survey was open for six months and was sent out to whatcar.com readers and subscribers.

To assess the seriousness of any faults reported on by owners, we ask them to tell us how long each one kept the car off the road and how much it cost to fix. We use a combination of these two details to create a reliability rating for each model and brand. The latest survey had 29,967 responses, allowing us to report on 199 models (up to five years old) from 31 brands. 

The 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey is live, tell us about your car now

Most reliable small SUVs

1. Mini Countryman (2017-2024)

Reliability rating 99.7%

What went wrong? Bodywork 2% 

The previous-generation Mini Countryman isn’t only the most dependable small SUV you can buy – it’s also the most reliable Mini model in the survey. Owners told us just 2% of their cars had any issues and these were restricted to niggles with the bodywork. With all problems sorted out at no cost and in less than a week, the Countryman has kept its owners extremely happy.

Owner’s view: “My Countryman really feels like a high-quality vehicle.”

2017-2024 Mini Countryman used buying guide

Mini Countryman review

2. Audi Q2 (2016-present)

Reliability rating 99.5%

Almost every Audi Q2 in our survey behaved impeccably, according to owners. Only 3% reported any issues, all of which concerned engine faults that prevented the affected cars from being driven. Although all the faults took more than a week to put right, they were corrected at no cost to owners.

Audi Q2 review

3. Hyundai Kona hybrid (2017-2023)

Reliability rating 98.2%

Although hybrid versions of the Hyundai Kona had a higher fault rate than petrols (7% versus 3%), they were fixed quicker, with half of the affected vehicles being put right in a day or less. Non-engine electrical systems and the sat-nav or infotainment system were the trouble points, and all issues were fixed for free.

2017-2023 Hyundai Kona used buying guide

Hyundai Kona review

4. Dacia Duster (2018-present)

Reliability rating 98.8%

Only 7% of the Dacia Dusters we were told about had any issues, and they were mostly with the electrics and sat-nav or infotainment system. All affected cars could still be driven, two thirds of problems were resolved in less than a week and, best of all, Dacia paid for all remedial work.

Dacia Duster review

5. Hyundai Kona petrol (2017-2023)

Reliability rating 98.7%

Not many petrol-engined Hyundai Konas went wrong (3%), and the air-con and exhaust were the only systems affected. Although the faults didn't render any cars undriveable, half of those that went wrong were out of action for more than a week, and the rest took up to seven days to put right. The good news is that Hyundai covered the cost of all repairs.

2017-2023 Hyundai Kona used buying guide

Hyundai Kona review

6. Volkswagen T-Roc (2018-present)

Reliability rating 98.4%

One in 10 of the VW T-Rocs in our survey had a glitch, with the bodywork, brakes and sat-nav or infotainment systems the main culprits. Volkswagen and its dealers fixed 72% of cars in a day or less, and paid for all the fixes so no owners were left out of pocket.

VW T-Roc review

7. Volkswagen T-Cross (2019-present)

Reliability rating 98.0%

Issues with the exhaust, electrics and steering were the main bugbears of the 10% of VW T-Cross owners who said their cars had gone wrong. While a third of issues were sorted out in a day or less, the rest took more than a week to fix. The car maker paid for 67% of remedial work, but owners who did have to pay were left with bills of no more than £50 per fault. 

VW T-Cross review

8. Suzuki Vitara (2015-present)

Reliability rating 97.7%

Overall the Suzuki Vitara is ageing well, with only 10% of owners complaining of issues with their cars, mostly regarding the bodywork. Most (83%) of fixes were paid for and none of the remaining bills topped £200. Repairs weren't always quick, though, with half of the cars reported on spending more than a week in the garage. 

Suzuki Vitara review

9. Honda HR-V (2015-2022)

Reliability rating 97.1%

The previous-generation Honda HR-V is proving more robust than the latest model: 12% of older HR-Vs had a problem, compared with 18% of the latest versions. All issues were resolved in a day or less but only 50% of faulty cars were fixed for free, leaving the remaining owners with bills of up to £500. The main problem areas were the air-con, 12-volt battery and exhaust system.

2015-2022 Honda HR-V used buying guide

Honda HR-V review

10. Toyota C-HR (2016-2023)

Reliability rating 96.8%

The Toyota C-HR isn't as bulletproof in terms of build quality a larger Toyota models, with a fault rate of 14%. Electrical issues – in particular problems with the 12-volt battery – were the main concern of owners. Although all cars were back on the road in less than a week, 27% of the faults stopped the vehicles from being driven. Toyota paid for 73% of repair work, but that left 9% of owners with bills of up to £500 per fault.

2016-2023 Toyota C-HR used buying guide

Toyota C-HR review

Least reliable small SUVs

1. Nissan Juke (2019-present)

Reliability rating 50.0%

What went wrong? 12-volt battery 13%, engine 9%, electric battery and charging 6%, brakes 6%, fuel system 6%, non-engine electrics 6%, air-con 3%, bodywork 3%, engine electrics 3%, exhaust 3%, gearbox/clutch 3%, steering 3%, suspension 3%

Nearly a third (31%) of the Nissan Jukes reported on went wrong, with 80% of these rendered undriveable, some for more than a week. Nissan only covered the cost of remedial work in 35% of cases, with 52% of owners paying more than £1,500 per fault.

Owner’s view “Nissan has been trying to fix my Juke hybrid for three months, and it’s not managed it yet.”

Nissan Juke review

2. MG ZS petrol (2017-2024)

Reliability rating 81.1%

The petrol MG ZS is the most problematic MG model, with a fault rate of 58%. Electrical systems and the sat-nav or infotainment system gave the most grief, but engines and their electrical systems also played up. It took more than a week to fix 36% of faulty cars, but MG paid for 86% of work and no other repair bills topped £200.

MG ZS review

3. Skoda Karoq diesel (2017-present)

Reliability rating 87.6%

Diesel versions of the Skoda Karoq are twice as likely to go wrong as petrols, with a fault rate of 30% (versus 15%). Engine and non-engine electrical faults were the biggest headaches. Most affected cars were back on the road in less than a week, but only 43% of repairs were free, with 29% of owners facing bills of up to £750.

Skoda Karoq review

To read the reliability data for other car classes follow these links:

Most and least reliable cars overall (2024)
Most reliable car brands (2024)
Most reliable small cars (2023)
Most reliable family cars (2023)
Most reliable executive cars (2023)
Most reliable luxury cars (2023)
Most reliable family SUVs (2023)
Most reliable large SUVs (2023)
Most reliable seven-seaters (2023)
Most reliable electric cars (2023)
Most reliable electric SUVs (2023)
Most reliable sports cars (2023)
Most reliable diesel cars (2023)
Most reliable petrol cars (2023)
Most reliable hybrid cars (2023)

Reliability of small SUVs aged up to five years old

About the report author

Claire Evans has been a motoring journalist for more than 30 years with a focus on consumer issues for much of that time. She was the advice columnist for Carweek magazine in the 1990s, and also spent six years working on motoring content for Which?.

Claire launched the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2017, and since then has helped thousands of buyers choose the most reliable new cars and SUVs, as well as the most dependable used cars.

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