Japanese cars are the most reliable, leaving European models trailing, according to a Which? Car magazine survey. Honda and Toyota came a close first and second in the owner satisfaction questionnaire, while Land Rover was at the bottom.
The Honda Jazz supermini was the highest rated new vehicle, with a score of 96% for reliability, after more than 1,300 owners said it rarely let them down.
The Land Rover Discovery 3 was the least satisfactory, with a mark of only 79%. "You may well see the latest Land Rover Discovery on a trailer, not pulling one," the magazine said.
The survey also found that one in 20 new cars broke down in the last year. Owners were asked to give details of breakdowns which left them stranded, faults which needed repair and replacement outside normal servicing, and niggles which did not stop them using the car but possibly needed sorting out by the dealer.
Honda scored an overall reliability index of 86%, with Toyota one point behind. Half a dozen far eastern makes shared third place. Daihatsu, Hyundai, Lexus, Mazda, Subaru and Suzuki were all on 82%.
American manufacturer Ford scored 78% and BMW, Jaguar, Kia, Mini, Proton, Skoda, Vauxhall and Volvo all got 77%.
At the bottom of the table were Fiat with 71%, Renault with 70% and Land Rover on 68%.
Honda performed well across the board with one surprise result: a reliability rating of only 82% for the latest Civic. Owners reported problems with the fuel system, steering and suspension, Which? said.
Other vehicles rated highly by their owners included the BMW 3 Series, the Honda Accord, the Toyota Avensis, the Audi A6 and the Mazda MX-5. Among the least reliable were the Citroen C4, the Peugeot 307 and the Renault Mégane.
Which? Car's editor, Richard Headland, said: "Honda is setting the benchmark in car reliability ... Several far eastern car makers are hot on its heels, but European manufacturers still have some catching up to do."
Which? members gave information on the performance of 99,360 cars up to eight years old over the past 12 months. The analysis of manufacturers' overall performance, in which the average index score was 77%, took the age of cars into account. The model reliability rating was for new cars up to two years old.
