The most reliable cars of 1999

Every 1999 car tested in Britain in one year, ranked by how often it failed. Measured, not surveyed.

Best

#	Car	Engine	Failure rate	Tests
1	Lotus Elise	1.8 Petrol	14%	734
2	Porsche 911	3.4 Petrol	15%	1,300
3	Jaguar XKR	4.0 Petrol	17%	552
4	Subaru Impreza	2.0 Petrol	17%	886
5	Porsche Boxster	2.5 Petrol	20%	986
6	BMW 3 Series	2.8 Petrol	20%	878
7	BMW Z3	2.0 Petrol	20%	746
8	Jaguar XK8	4.0 Petrol	20%	591
9	BMW Z3	2.8 Petrol	21%	1,083
10	Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class	2.3 Petrol	21%	1,912
11	Toyota Starlet	1.3 Petrol	22%	744
12	Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class	3.2 Petrol	22%	637
13	Rover Mini	1.3 Petrol	23%	935
14	Land Rover Discovery	2.5 Diesel	24%	2,535
15	Peugeot Boxer	2.4 Diesel	24%	602
16	Saab 9-3	2.0 Petrol	24%	653
17	Ford Transit	2.5 Diesel	24%	1,165
18	BMW 3 Series	2.5 Petrol	24%	1,326
19	Toyota Corolla	1.3 Petrol	25%	1,325
20	Mazda MX-5	1.8 Petrol	25%	2,349
21	Land Rover Defender	2.5 Diesel	25%	3,693
22	MG MGF	1.8 Petrol	25%	1,142
23	Honda Civic	1.4 Petrol	26%	995
24	Volkswagen Golf	1.8 Petrol	26%	1,232
25	BMW Z3	1.9 Petrol	26%	1,456

Worst

#	Car	Engine	Failure rate	Tests
1	Ford Fiesta	1.2 Petrol	32%	1,565
2	Ford Fiesta	1.3 Petrol	31%	836
3	Ford Focus	1.6 Petrol	31%	777
4	Volkswagen Transporter	1.9 Diesel	31%	2,450
5	Honda CR-V	2.0 Petrol	31%	808
6	Ford Focus	1.8 Petrol	31%	952
7	Volkswagen Golf	1.9 Diesel	30%	755
8	Nissan Micra	1.0 Petrol	30%	2,543
9	Volkswagen Transporter	2.5 Diesel	30%	2,608
10	Volkswagen Golf	1.6 Petrol	30%	1,551
11	Vauxhall Astra	1.6 Petrol	29%	1,360
12	Toyota Yaris	1.0 Petrol	29%	1,497
13	Toyota Hilux	2.4 Diesel	29%	801
14	Nissan Micra	1.3 Petrol	29%	1,058
15	Volvo V70	2.4 Petrol	28%	957
16	Jaguar S-Type	3.0 Petrol	27%	518
17	Peugeot Boxer	1.9 Diesel	27%	699
18	Volkswagen Polo	1.4 Petrol	27%	1,057
19	Toyota Land Cruiser	3.0 Diesel	27%	589
20	Fiat Ducato	2.8 Diesel	27%	1,237
21	Toyota RAV4	2.0 Petrol	27%	696
22	BMW 3 Series	1.9 Petrol	27%	1,231
23	Honda Civic	1.6 Petrol	26%	877
24	Audi TT	1.8 Petrol	26%	528
25	Mazda MX-5	1.6 Petrol	26%	1,454

What this measures

Britain tests every car over three years old against a published standard and publishes the result. This is that record for the 1999 model year, so every car here is the same age and none is flattered by being newer.

A car driven less fails less. An expensive one often sits high for reasons that are not about how well it was built, which is why the app can rank these at the same odometer reading.