Used car rankings from MOT data
Most reliable executive cars against cars the same age
We ranked 35 executive cars by how often they failed their MOT at 3 to 15 years old, each against all cars at the same ages. From 10,775,241 DVSA MOT tests in Great Britain, 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
First in this list (n=85,483)17.9%
All cars, same ages30.9%
Difference42% lower
MOT tests used10,775,241
First in this list: Lexus IS.
How this ranking works
- Data: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal tests in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), 2022 to 2025. Northern Ireland tests its cars separately and is not included. A fail is a test marked fail or passed after a repair at the test station.
- Measure: share of MOTs failed at each age from 3 to 15 years, pooled, against all cars at the same ages.
- Order: by the fail rate divided by the rate for all cars at the same ages, shown as the difference in per cent. Fail rates rise with age, so a ratio keeps a model seen only at older ages from looking better than it is.
- Comparison: all cars means every class 4 MOT test except vans, pickups, taxis, campers, van-based people carriers, motorhome and minibus bases and used imports, weighted to each row's own mix of ages.
- Thresholds: every age behind a row here has at least 5,000 tests. A model generation is ranked only with at least 3 ages of 1,000 tests or more, and a row needs at least 3 ages in this list. A list is published only with at least 10 ranked rows.
- Typical mileage: the median odometer reading at each age, averaged over the row's ages by number of tests.
- Segments: from our checked list that puts each DVSA model family in one segment; this list covers large family and executive cars. Families that change body type between generations without a split in the data are left out.
- Vans, pickups, taxis, campers, van-based people carriers, motorhome and minibus bases, and models sold here mainly as used imports are left out of car lists.
- Years in brackets are the first-use years of a model generation.
The ranking
| # | Model | MOT fail rate | All cars, same ages | Difference | Ages | Tests (n) | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lexus ISCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 17.9% | 30.9% | 42% lower | 6 to 15 | 85,483 | 81,500 miles |
| 2 | Mercedes-Benz S-ClassCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 11.9% | 20.0% | 40% lower | 4 to 10 | 58,021 | 61,700 miles |
| 3 | BMW 7 SeriesCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 9.4% | 15.8% | 40% lower | 4 to 7 | 24,028 | 52,500 miles |
| 4 | Audi A7Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 15.2% | 23.6% | 35% lower | 5 to 11 | 50,430 | 74,800 miles |
| 5 | Audi A6Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 18.5% | 25.9% | 29% lower | 3 to 15 | 443,342 | 91,000 miles |
| 6 | BMW 5 SeriesCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 18.5% | 25.1% | 26% lower | 3 to 15 | 702,866 | 86,700 miles |
| 7 | BMW 4 SeriesCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 15.5% | 19.8% | 22% lower | 3 to 11 | 415,904 | 56,800 miles |
| 8 | Audi A5Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 21.0% | 25.8% | 18% lower | 3 to 15 | 484,211 | 75,900 miles |
| 9 | Volvo S90 (from 2016)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 11.8% | 14.5% | 18% lower | 4 to 6 | 19,424 | 47,500 miles |
| 10 | BMW 3 SeriesCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 22.1% | 26.6% | 17% lower | 3 to 15 | 1,512,884 | 83,200 miles |
| 11 | Mercedes-Benz CLSCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 24.1% | 28.8% | 16% lower | 6 to 15 | 66,375 | 82,100 miles |
| 12 | Jaguar XFCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 24.0% | 28.6% | 16% lower | 3 to 15 | 384,864 | 78,800 miles |
| 13 | Mercedes-Benz E-ClassCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 20.7% | 24.6% | 16% lower | 3 to 15 | 851,495 | 74,400 miles |
| 14 | Honda AccordCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 34.3% | 40.0% | 14% lower | 13 to 15 | 28,180 | 121,900 miles |
| 15 | Volvo S60Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 25.9% | 29.7% | 13% lower | 8 to 12 | 28,892 | 97,900 miles |
| 16 | Mercedes-Benz C-ClassCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 22.2% | 25.4% | 12% lower | 3 to 15 | 1,280,714 | 72,500 miles |
| 17 | Saab 9-3Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 34.7% | 39.6% | 12% lower | 12 to 15 | 59,549 | 110,100 miles |
| 18 | Audi A4Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 23.5% | 26.6% | 12% lower | 3 to 15 | 795,384 | 87,600 miles |
| 19 | Toyota AvensisCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 29.2% | 32.8% | 11% lower | 6 to 15 | 164,061 | 105,200 miles |
| 20 | Volkswagen CCCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 27.0% | 28.9% | 6% lower | 8 to 12 | 46,719 | 96,700 miles |
What stands out
- Lexus IS comes first: 17.9% against 30.9% for all cars at the same ages, 42% lower (n=85,483).
- 25 of the 35 ranked executive cars fail less often than all cars at the same ages.
- In the 20 shown, the difference from all cars runs from 42% lower to 6% lower.
- 2 other rows are within 5% of the first on the difference, so read close positions as level rather than as a strict order.
Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.
More rankings
All used car rankings · MOT fail rates by make and model · Common problems by model · Recalls by model · ULEZ by model
Looking at one car?
A ranking describes model generations, not the car in front of you. The VetTheCar Buying Report reads one car's MOT history, mileage and recalls and sets them against cars like it.
Source
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 22 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources