“If only everything in life was as reliable as Volkswagen” posited the famous 1987 advert for the Volkswagen Golf.
Similarly, Audi declares: “Vorsprung durch Technik.” Loosely translated, this means “advancement through technology” and both of these slogans are designed to instil a feeling of confidence in each company’s engineering prowess.
Unfortunately, however, the truth can be very different. Figures recently released by consumer warranty company Warranty Direct, show that Volkswagen, Audi and BMW make some of the least reliable engines on the market.
Audi came second-from-bottom in the engine reliability charts with one failure in every 27, beaten only by the now-defunct MG Rover.
It’s a poor showing for BMW’s Minibrand, too, coming in at third-from-bottom with one failure in every 40, while BMW themselves take up the seventh slot in between Peugeot and Renault with one in 45.
Volkswagen makes its appearance in the ninth-from-bottom position, with one in every 52 owners suffering an engine fault of some kind.
So who makes the most reliable engines?
Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s the Japanese, with the top spot taken by Honda. Only one in every 344 Honda owners have had engine trouble, with second-placed rival Toyota notching up just one in 171.
It’s not all doom and gloom for the European marques, though, with Mercedes-Benz taking third, followed closely by Volvo.
The Brits have something to be cheerful about, with Jaguar placed fifth and Land Rover in tenth– although in the interests of yin and yang we should note that JLR’s repair costs were considered very high, with one Range Rover Sport owner quoted nearly £15,000 to repair an engine failure.
The biggest surprise, however, comes in the form of seventh-placed Fiat who recorded a creditable one failure in 85, beating both Ford and Nissan.
Remember that next time an Audi salesman tries to convince you to sign on the dotted line…
Top 10 manufacturers – most reliable engines
| Manufacturer | Failure Rate | |
| 1 | Honda | 1 in 344 |
| 2 | Toyota | 1 in 171 |
| 3 | Mercedes-Benz | 1 in 119 |
| 4 | Volvo | 1 in 111 |
| 5 | Jaguar | 1 in 103 |
| 6 | Lexus | 1 in 101 |
| 7 | Fiat | 1 in 85 |
| 8 | Ford | 1 in 80 |
| 9 | Nissan | 1 in 76 |
| 10 | Land Rover | 1 in 72 |
Bottom 10manufacturers – least reliable engines
| Manufacturer | Failure Rate | |
| 1 | MG Rover | 1 in 13 |
| 2 | Audi | 1 in 27 |
| 3 | MINI | 1 in 40 |
| 4 | Saab | 1 in 40 |
| 5 | Vauxhall | 1 in 41 |
| 6 | Peugeot | 1 in 44 |
| 7 | BMW | 1 in 45 |
| 8 | Renault | 1 in 46 |
| 9 | Volkswagen | 1 in 52 |
| 10 | Mitsubishi | 1 in 59 |
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