All vehicle manufacturers have their strengths and weaknesses. And it is important to know them so as not to be surprised.
It turns out that you have treated your car better than your son, and without knowing how he has a fault in the engine, or in the brake system. How is it possible?
Each car brand has its own manufacturing system, and enhances or leaves certain things in the background. That’s why, each brand has its strengths and weaknessesand in some cases they are more prone to certain types of breakdowns.
According to our colleague Noelia López in AutoBild, several European consumer associations have asked 50,000 drivers from five countries what car they drive, how many times they have been in the shop since they bought it, for what reasons and how much the repair has cost. It is, therefore, a survey with reliable, first-hand data.
In Spain, the person in charge of compiling the information has been the OCU. The most reliable car, with fewer breakdowns in Europehas turned out to be the Volkswagen T-Roc.
The most reliable cars are hybrids, since it has 10 models with a 95 out of 100 in reliability. The one with the fewest faults of all is the Lexus IS.
The Audi Q3 it is the gasoline car that has passed through the workshop the fewest times; while in the plug-in segment the most reliable model is the Kia Niro PHEV.
Breakdowns, depending on the car brand
In this table, created from the OCU data, we can see the most common failures, with the percentage of appearance.
Also, what marks do they suffer. If you have a car of these brands, be attentive to its appearance:
type of fault | Affected Components | Brands that suffer |
---|---|---|
electrical faults | 17% of breakdowns are caused by electrical components: batteries, fuses, light bulbs, warning lights, locks, electric windows, wiring. | Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Citroën, Fiat, Renault and Seat |
Braking system | 13% of failures are due to brake pumps, lines, discs, drums or cables. | Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Citroen, Fiat |
electronics | They cause 8% of the breakdowns declared by those surveyed. | Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Fiat, Renault, Opel and Lancia |
feeding system | 7% of failures occur in carburettors, fuel pumps, injection systems… | Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Fiat, Lancia and Opel |
Address | Damping, steering, axles and tires cause 7% of breakdowns. | Alfa Romeo, Audi, Chevrolet and Citroen |
Engine | Engine elements cause 8% of breakdowns. | Alfa Romeo, Audi, Chevrolet, Citroen, Fiat and Renault |
heating and ventilation | Responsible for 6% of breakdowns |
As we see, The most common faults are electrical: batteries, fuses, light bulbs, warning lights, closures, electric windows, wiring. They are mainly suffered by brands Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Citroen, Fiat, Renault and Seat.
next is faults in the brake system, appearing in 13% of all breakdowns. They are common in brands Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Citroën and Fiat.
The price of repairs
as important as knowing what is the weak point of your vehicle, is to know what the visits to the workshop cost, on average. And it is that, depending on the brand, you are going to spend more or less.
So, for example, users of Hyundai, Dacia and Renault spend an average of between 114 and 150 euros per year in repairs. Instead, users of Mercedes-Benz, Audi or Volvo exceed the 300 euros. It seems that you also pay the brand “tax” here…
The drivers of Nissan, Seat, Skoda, Toyota, Opel, Kia and Mazda they don’t reach the 200 euros a yearwhile those of Peugeot, Ford, Citroen, VW, BMW and Hondaallocate between 209 and 250 euros in workshop visits each year.
Despite these data, vehicle owners are happy with them. All brands receive the highest score in Satisfaction. Only Opel, Fiat, Lancia and Chevrolet remain at 4 out of 5 stars.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism