Most reliable used family cars to buy 2021/2022
The most important attribute for a family car is reliability. With that in mind our Driver Power survey reveals the most reliable used family cars to buy now
Family cars are some of the hardest-working vehicles out there. Not only do they have to be decently frugal to run, but they also have to have the space to carry around a family in comfort. But above all that, they need to be reliable, because the last thing you need when undertaking a “we’re late again” run to school in the morning or to a child’s evening activity is for the car to leave you stranded at the kerbside.
That’s why it really can pay to have a look through our 2021 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, because it tells you exactly which cars are reliable, and which cars aren’t. And you can rely on it, because it’s put together using data and opinions from other car owners just like you.
The scores are simple to understand – anything with a score of more than 90 per cent is as reliable as they come.
Read on below to find out the top five most reliable used family cars available.
Top five reliable used family cars
5. Subaru Outback - 93.06%
- Years of manufacture: 2015-2021
- Price now: from £10,200
Not only is the Subaru Outback a tremendously capable and versatile family car, it’s also one that you can depend upon. Owners also love the car’s sheer practicality and the value it offers, but most of all they love the fact that it’s reliable. That means that if you need a car that you can be sure will take you (and a lot of stuff) into the back of beyond, and get you home again, the Outback is superb.
4. Kia Sportage Mk4 - 93.34%
- Years of manufacture: 2015-2021
- Price now: from £10,200
As a previous winner of the Driver Power ownership satisfaction survey, there’s no doubting the all-round abilities of the Sportage, which still scores heavily for practicality and comfort. It’s also reliable – so reliable in fact that it managed to claim fourth place in our list (a full 29 spots above one of its biggest rivals – the Peugeot 3008).
3. Skoda Superb Mk3 - 92.31%
- Years of manufacture: 2015-present
- Price now: from £9,100
There are simply no areas in which you could describe the Skoda Superb as weak, because owners love the vast space, the comfort, how safe it is, and of course, how dependable it is. The Superb has long been a rival for the Vauxhall Insignia, but they are streets apart when it comes to reliability, with the Skoda ranking 46 places higher in our 2021 survey - impressive.
2. Toyota Prius Mk4 - 94.28%
- Years of manufacture: 2015-present
- Price now: from £12,000
If there’s one thing that Driver Power has shown over the years, it’s that if you want reliability, get a Toyota. And so it is with the current-shape Prius, a car that uses cutting-edge drivetrain technology to make it utterly reliable. How reliable? Well, the popular Volkswagen Golf sits 61 places below it in the reliability stakes…
1. Lexus CT - 94.70%
- Years of manufacture: 2011-2020
- Price now: from £8,600
If you want a premium family hatch that you can truly depend upon, there’s no finer choice than a Lexus CT. It might have been around since 2011, but the CT has been so reliable for so many of its owners, that it sits proudly at the top of our list of the most reliable used family cars money can buy.
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