Auto Express’ 2015 Driver Power survey asked over 61,000 motorists how happy – or unhappy – they were with their car across a range of areas from handling to reliability.

It’s the latter though which is perhaps the most important for anyone who wants their motoring life (present or future) to be a pleasure not a pain, and some of the entries for both the most and least reliable are surprising.

It’s good news for those of us (like young drivers) who are shopping on a budget – the most reliable cars in the top 10 are mainly city cars, which can be bought new or used without the need to sell all your worldly goods on eBay. The Toyota IQ, Hyundai i10 (Mk2), Honda Jazz (Mk2) and Kia Picanto (Mk2) feature in the top ten finalists for reliability and all make for excellent used buys for new drivers.

As for the worst performers, it’s actually good news too because the majority of entries in the bottom 10 least reliable cars are not a practical choice for young drivers due to cost and insurance premiums – two BMWs figure on the list (the 3 Series Coupe/Convertible Mk5 and 5 Series Mk5) while Land Rover are left fighting for space on the naughty step thanks to its three entries including the Range Rover Mk3 in 199th position and the Discovery Mk3 in last place at 200.

And finally, for those of you who are tempted by a little used Italian flair at a more affordable price, then you might want to drive on by because the Alfa Romeo MiTo ended up near the bottom of the survey.

Here is the full list for the top 10 best and worst cars for reliability:

Top 10 cars for reliability

  1. Toyota iQ – 98.81%
  2. Lexus NX – 98.71%
  3. Lexus IS Mk3 – 98.58%
  4. Hyundai i10 Mk2 – 98.46%
  5. Honda Jazz Mk2 – 97.86%
  6. Lexus GS Mk3 – 97.59%
  7. Toyota RAV4 Mk4 – 97.50%
  8. Nissan LEAF – 97.45%
  9. Kia Picanto – Mk2 97.14%
  10. SEAT Leon Mk3 – 96.90%

Bottom 10 cars for reliability

  1. Citroen C5 Mk2 – 86.88%
  2. Land Rover Range Rover Sport Mk1 – 86.00%
  3. Peugeot 407 – 85.91%
  4. Alfa Romeo MiTo – 85.35%
  5. Volvo V50 – 85.21%
  6. BMW 3 Series Coupe/Convertible Mk5 – 84.78%
  7. Ford Galaxy Mk3 – 83.56%
  8. BMW 5 Series Mk5 – 83.48%
  9. Land Rover Range Rover Mk3 – 79.57%
  10. Land Rover Discovery Mk3 – 78.36%

To see the full results across all categories, head to Auto Express.

Image © Stephen Clarkson