The most reliable cars of 2005

Every 2005 car tested in Britain in one year, ranked by how often it failed. Measured, not surveyed.

Best

#	Car	Engine	Failure rate	Tests
1	Aston Martin DB9	5.9 Petrol	8%	1,125
2	Bentley Continental	6.0 Petrol	10%	1,309
3	Mitsubishi Lancer	2.0 Petrol	11%	501
4	Porsche 911	3.8 Petrol	11%	2,111
5	Porsche 911	3.6 Petrol	12%	957
6	BMW M3	3.2 Petrol	13%	1,133
7	Honda S2000	2.0 Petrol	13%	807
8	Porsche Boxster	2.7 Petrol	14%	1,839
9	Mercedes-Benz SL-Class	3.7 Petrol	15%	839
10	Porsche Cayenne	3.2 Petrol	16%	845
11	Toyota Alphard	2.4 Hybrid	16%	558
12	Porsche Boxster	3.2 Petrol	16%	1,910
13	Smart Roadster	0.7 Petrol	19%	897
14	Mercedes-Benz S-Class	3.2 Diesel	19%	522
15	Lexus IS250	2.5 Petrol	20%	896
16	Porsche Cayenne	4.5 Petrol	20%	781
17	Subaru Impreza	2.0 Petrol	20%	2,628
18	BMW 3 Series	2.5 Petrol	20%	2,587
19	Chrysler Crossfire	3.2 Petrol	20%	724
20	Lexus GS300	3.0 Petrol	20%	942
21	Land Rover Range Rover	4.2 Petrol	21%	634
22	Nissan Elgrand	3.5 Petrol	21%	694
23	Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class	3.0 Petrol	21%	587
24	BMW 1 Series	2.0 Petrol	21%	1,202
25	BMW 3 Series	3.0 Petrol	21%	2,301

Worst

#	Car	Engine	Failure rate	Tests
1	Chevrolet Kalos	1.4 Petrol	36%	532
2	Mazda Bongo	2.5 Diesel	35%	847
3	Citroen Dispatch	2.0 Diesel	35%	504
4	Chevrolet Matiz	1.0 Petrol	35%	915
5	Fiat Scudo	2.0 Diesel	34%	692
6	KIA Sportage	2.0 Petrol	34%	625
7	Vauxhall Meriva	1.7 Diesel	34%	535
8	Hyundai Coupe	2.0 Petrol	34%	671
9	Ford KA	1.3 Petrol	34%	2,879
10	Peugeot Expert	1.9 Diesel	34%	874
11	Renault Clio	1.5 Diesel	34%	1,226
12	Mazda 3	2.0 Petrol	34%	725
13	Ford Transit Connect	1.8 Diesel	34%	8,424
14	Renault Clio	1.1 Petrol	34%	10,864
15	Peugeot 307	2.0 Petrol	34%	1,340
16	Ford Galaxy	1.9 Diesel	33%	2,316
17	KIA Picanto	1.0 Petrol	33%	1,140
18	Renault Grand Scenic	1.6 Petrol	33%	552
19	Peugeot Expert	2.0 Diesel	33%	776
20	Jaguar X-Type	2.0 Diesel	33%	2,130
21	Renault Modus	1.4 Petrol	33%	1,379
22	Vauxhall Zafira	1.9 Diesel	33%	722
23	Volkswagen Polo	1.2 Petrol	33%	12,187
24	Vauxhall Combo	1.7 Diesel	33%	1,234
25	Peugeot 307	1.6 Diesel	33%	1,780

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 2005 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.