British magazine What Car? has declared the Mazda MX-5 the most reliable car in Britain in its annual reliability survey.
Several factors including the number of times a car fails, its repair costs, the average time it spends off the road being repaired, its age and mileage contribute to a Reliability Index (RI) score – the lower the number, the more reliable the car.
While the national average RI was 100, the ‘world’s best-selling two-seater sports car’ achieved a score of just eight. The survey found 96% of MX-5s built after 2005 are fault-free, and its owners enjoy the lowest repair costs with a £165 average bill.
In addition to the eight variants on sale in the UK from £15k, two special-edition Kuro models are also available: the 1.8i Kuro Soft-top (pictured), priced from £18,495; and the 2.0i Kuro Roadster Coupe from £21,995. Only 200 Soft-tops and 600 Roadster Coupes will be sold in the UK.
Features include a roof and door mirrors in brilliant black, dark gunmetal 17-inch alloys, a diffuser-style rear bumper with Sebring chrome exhaust trims, black detailing around the front grille and front fog lights.
Back in its country of origin the MX-5 has been treated to some upgrades, and just look at what UK specialists Jota Sport have come up with…
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Undoubtedly Mazda has always been a very reliable car for me. Driven my dad’s 323 and later bought a Mazda6 myself in 2008. Still driving like a new car without a single fault. Its a pity not many Malaysians know just how good this brand is..
Reliability survey 2012 results by manufacturer:
1. Honda
2. Toyota
3. Lexus
4. Suzuki
5. Subaru
6. Hyundai, Mazda, Mitsubishi
9. Chevrolet
10. Nissan
11. Kia
12. Ford
VW is not even in the list! that’s germany’s proton..
Suzuki is Good!
Agree with the survey . Own Camry Suzuki swift and VW golf . Camry coming 7 years no breakdown very reliable . Swift 5 years no breakdown very reliable . Golf TSI 1.5 years major breakdown 12 days in workshop
issues with Mechatronic and Clutch plate . Service centre thought brake system could not detect problems earlier . Buy German cars must have 2nd car to play safe . Choose reliability sacrifice excitement but choose performance must accept inconvenience and higher repair costs . No perfect answer unless damn rich.
We are referring to CBU 1st world countries, I supposed. The result cannot be extrapolated to CKDs, ya.
What is the RI for our global car, proton preve????
You know, mazda Malaysia should sell the manual version here.
If there’s a new car that Lotus will build, this is the kind of car that Lotus should build..
Not many in M’sia but i saw one new one with Singapore broke down in front of my office in JB driven by a lady. Ironic. Have always wanted one but im 6’1 and ill look funny driving it.
but malaysian always toyota here and there.. ptrffff..
The best roadster in the world is also the most reliable. Bravo Mazda!
The S2000 said,”No!”.Hehe.Well,both are great roadsters with different buyers in mind.
I heard that the S2000 has handling problems.
It seems that it was a rear-wheel drive roadster that was developed by engineers who were experts in front-wheel drive setup.
It has a propensity to come off the road quite easily.
An S2000 owner related to me that it is not recommended to drive it hard in the wet.
I can’t say the MX-5 is any better to drive hard in the wet either. Short wheelbase and tight steering makes it very, very responsive to steering input and it may get twitchy in the rain.
The only reprieve is that the MX-5 isn’t powerful enough to surprise you (was told it is fairly easy to arrest a slide, though I suspect easy is relative), but in the rain, you really never know.
Best to be civilized when driving in wet conditions. I’ve even seen an Evo spin 360 at moderate speeds.
Top 10 most reliable small family cars (by Reliability Index rating):
1 Volvo S40 (’96-’04) 22
2 Toyota Corolla (’01-’07) 26
3 Toyota Auris (’07-) 27
4 Honda Civic (’06-’12) 31
5 Honda Civic (’00-’06) 44
6 Peugeot 308 (’07-) 45
7 Toyota Prius (’03-’09) 48
8 Mazda 3 (’04-’09) 54
9 Mazda 323 (’98-’04) 57
10 Nissan Almera (’00-’06) 62
Worst
Mercedes-Benz A-Class (’98-’05) 270
What is the 10 worst vehicles in the reliability list then? Is there a Malaysian index ah, Jonathan?
Offered a BMW 5-series free, or a Camry FOC, which one will I choose?
I choose Mercedes, since I could sell it later at a high price.
oi why bother, car manufacturer that makes a reliable car are good for buyers. those unreliable car are bad for the manufacturer becoz cannot sell a lot of spare parts later on. proton want to sell more spare parts eh..you choose…
MX-5, a car for effeminate men :)
If only it’s cheaper here… way too expensive. I’ve always like the MX-5.