Skoda loses joke status in car reliability survey

A Skoda Octavia RS. Photo / Ted Baghurst

Despite long being the butt of jokes, Skoda drivers are among the most satisfied with their vehicle.

But the vehicle most beloved by its owners is the Toyota HiAce.

Consumer NZ asked thousands of drivers to rate vehicle reliability and if they'd buy the same car again.

Ninety-five per cent of all Skoda drivers said they were "satisfied or very satisfied" with their cars' reliability. And 100 per cent of Toyota HiAce drivers said they'd buy again.

As well as the HiAce score, Consumer NZ said Toyota had "an unsurpassed reputation for reliability".

However, "only the Corolla, Prius and Yaris rated above average in this survey. The Avensis was below average and the rest of Toyota's models were average".

The Honda Jazz and Toyota Corolla were top achievers in the last car reliability survey, in 2011. Those models were still well regarded but others joined the ranks in the new survey.

Satisfaction was just one component of the overall reliability score. Some models, like the Nissan Maxima, had very satisfied drivers but only "average" reliability.

Luxury car owners were among the least happy with their vehicles. BMW, Land Rover, Jaguar and Jeep drivers gave their cars some of the worst feedback. Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Toyota drivers rated their cars highly.

The study found used imports were slightly less reliable than "New Zealand new" used cars.

Owners of four-wheel-drive cars reported more problems than their two-wheel counterparts.

Survey results also suggested diesel cars were slightly less reliable than petrol vehicles.

Feedback indicated CVT (constant velocity) transmissions - a newer type of automatic - were more reliable than conventional ones.

In-depth survey results can be found at www.consumer.org.nz/articles/car-reliability.

Top vehicles

Most satisfied drivers

Skoda
Renault
Hyundai
Honda
SsangYong

Least satisfied drivers

Jaguar
Holden
Land Rover
Mini
BMW

Would buy again

Skoda
Mazda
Toyota
Honda
Lexus

Least likely to buy again

Renault
Daihatsu
Holden
Land Rover
Peugeot

Source: Consumer NZ