The most reliable old cars and the second-hand models to avoid

New data has revealed the most reliable older cars as well as identifying the second-hand picks that could cause buyers the biggest heartache.

Reliability studies often focus on models up to three or five years old but the latest research goes beyond that, looking at models between five and 20 years old to see how well they survive in the no-man’s land between new and classic status when manufacturers’ warranties have expired.

Japanese brands, particularly electric and hybrid models, dominate the top of the list while European luxury SUVs languished at the bottom. Six of the 10 best performing marques were Japanese while two more were South Korean.

The Toyota Yaris hybrid (2011-20), Toyota Rav4 (2013-19) and Honda CR-V (2012-18) proved to be the best of the bunch, all being reported as faultless by owners.

Overall, Toyota’s sister brand Lexus topped the table with a 96 per cent reliability rating, ahead of Kia (92.7 per cent), Toyota (92.2 per cent) Suzuki (91.9 per cent) and Honda (91.6 per cent).

EVs and hybrids were the most reliable class, with a 96 per cent rating, led by the Yaris, Lexus CT and Lexus IS. Behind them were large SUVs, topped by the Honda CR-V, and two generations of Rav4.

At the opposite end of the spectrum Land Rover failed to live up to its reputation for rugged machinery, with an overall reliability rating of 66.3 per cent. Its Discovery Sport (2014-present) was also among the worst-performing individual models, with a rating of just (51.4 per cent).