• Lexus named most reliable brand for a seventh time in the UK annual What Car? Survey
• Lexus scored 98.3% in the survey covering 32 brands and 178 models
• First generation NX achieved 99.8%, followed by the all-new NX with 99.4%, and the UX with 99.3%

Fashions come and fashions go, but with each year that passes Lexus reliability remains constant. The lasting quality of its vehicles has been validated yet again with the number one ranking in the annual What Car?  Reliability Survey for a seventh time.

Claire Evans, What Car? consumer editor and the person behind the survey, said the following: "If reliability is your priority, a Lexus model is the best choice. Not only do its models rarely go wrong, but when they do its dealerships resolve all issues swiftly and at no cost to owners. It is the brand that leads the field for dependability."

Almost 22,000 motorists took part in the leading consumer champion and car-buying platform in the UK 2023 study into the cars which perform best and worst when it comes to faults. The results, covering 32 brands and 178 different models up to five years old, showed Lexus achieving an unmatched score of 98.3 per cent, taking into account not just the number of problems experienced, but also how long they took to put right and the cost of repairs.

Lexus excelled in the survey’s categories, most notably in the family SUV class where the first generation NX came top with 99.8 per cent; the all-new, current NX second with 99.4 per cent; and UX third with 99.3 percent. The Lexus RX was placed second among large SUVs on 98.6 percent.  All of these are self-charging hybrid electric models – the powertrain technology the survey found to be the most reliable and simplest to repair when an issue does arise.

The Lexus IS saloon may no longer be on sale, but owners still appreciate its durability: it topped the executive car class with a 98 per cent score.

Auto Trader is one of the largest online sales websites for used and new cars in the UK.

It is the fourth time in five years Lexus has earned the title, which is determined by the real-world experiences and opinions of more than 220,000 UK car owners who responded to Auto Trader’s annual survey.

Erin Baker, Auto Trader Editorial Director, said: “Quality, reliability and comfort were three characteristics that came out of our survey. As one owner said – ‘I wish that I had bought a Lexus years ago, it’s the best car that I have driven and I would never go back to another model’.”

Chris Hayes, Director of Lexus in the UK, said: “In a fast-changing and highly competitive market, reliability remains a top priority for customers. It’s a quality that has always been at the heart of Lexus and it remains so as we deliver our new generation of electrified models. Receiving this award for a fourth time reflects the enduring strength of our reputation with customers who put their trust in our cars and services.”

The well-proven reliability of Lexus cars is backed by an unmatched peace-of-mind warranty programme, Lexus Relax. This provides up to 10 years/160,000 km of cover for all Lexus models, at no additional cost, subject to the vehicle being serviced in an authorised Lexus workshop*.

*Terms and conditions apply, for details visit Lexus Relax | Lexus Europe.

What Car?  is a leading consumer champion and car-buying platform in the UK. Announcing the result, the platform declared: “There isn’t an unreliable model in the entire Lexus line-up.”

Almost 25,000 UK owners of cars up to five years old took part in the survey, reporting whether they had experienced any problems with their vehicle and if so, how long they took to fix and the cost of any repairs. Lexus once again emerged as the most reliable brand among the 32 featured in the survey, achieving an overall score of 98.4 per cent. Its closest rival was its sister manufacturer, Toyota.

Remarking on the result, Steve Huntingford, What Car? Editor, said: “That means whether you choose a premium priced or affordable model, you can expect the most exemplary standard of reliability.”

All the Lexus models covered by the survey achieved scores of 96 per cent or higher and four of them were placed in the top three in their class. The CT 200h was the most reliable family car and sixth best-performing model overall with a 99.3 per cent rating; the UX 250h was 10th placed overall and third in the small SUV class on 99 per cent; and the IS was the most reliable among executive models on 98.3 per cent. Completing the clean sweep of success, the first generation NX was described as being “virtually bullet-proof”.

The consumer champion’s detailed study produced its findings from the real-world experiences and opinions of more than 47,000 UK motorists, covering almost 59,000 individual vehicles. Lexus secured its leading status with a fault-free report for the CT 200h hatchback and a near-perfect performance from the NX mid-size SUV. The results covered vehicles from new to three years old and three to eight years old.

The glowing report from Which? states: “Got the money for a Lexus? Do it. You might just forget what a mechanic’s waiting room looks like.”

A key factor in Lexus’s impressive performance is its self-charging hybrid technology. Which? highlights the proven durability and mechanical simplicity of the electrified system in making Lexus cars more resilient to faults. Lexus introduced hybrid to the UK premium market in 2005, since when it has constantly improved its performance and efficiency and extended it across its entire model range; today hybrids account for 99.8 per cent of its UK new car sales.

Ewan Shepherd, Director of Lexus in the UK said: “The results of the thorough research carried out by Which? are a further validation of the lasting quality and craftmanship engineered into every Lexus model. Making cars that people can rely on, year after year, is fundamental to our business and goes hand-in-hand with our commitment to always providing the highest standards of customer service.”

More information about the Lexus CT can be found here: https://www.lexus.eu/car-models/ct/

More information about the Lexus NX can be found here: https://www.lexus.eu/car-models/nx/

With more than 1.3 million members and supporters, Which? (https://www.which.co.uk/) is the largest independent consumer body in the UK.

For the second year in a row, Lexus is ranked first in reliability with a record score of 97%. Lexus NX 300h, IS 300h and CT 200h also rank among the Top 10 most reliable models in their respective categories (SUV and Family Cars), hereby reconfirming the industry-leading quality, durability and reliability of Lexus’ hybrid powertrain.

More than 43,000 consumers from Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain have contributed to this survey, which included more than 400 models from 37 car brands. Participants were invited to fill in an online questionnaire, indicating the age of their car, the number of kilometres driven and the problems and malfunctions that have occurred. The reliability score for each brand is calculated on this basis.

Euroconsumers is a consumer group working to promote consumer information, defence of their rights and personalised services in 5 countries: Belgium (Test-Aankoop/Test-Achats), Italy (Altroconsumo), Portugal (DECOProteste), Spain (OCU - Organisation of Consumers and Users), Brazil (Proteste).

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The 2018 survey separated cars into two age brackets, with those aged one to four years old in one bracket, while those four years and over were in another. But all were subjected to the critical gaze of more than 18,000 UK motorists, who were quizzed about their personal ownership experiences over the last 12 months.

The What Car? survey covered reliability performance in a variety of areas, including mechanical components, bodywork and trims. Participants were also asked to indicate how long their car was out of action before a satisfactory repair could be carried out, and the cost of such work. Findings were weighted to take into account the severity and impact of any faults.

Taking both category results into account, the What Car? team confirmed that “the most dependable brand for long-term ownership is Lexus, whose efforts are led by the CT hybrid hatchback.”

Ewan Shepherd, Director of Lexus in the UK, said: “We are very proud of the meticulous development and world-class production standards in each of our vehicles. Quality and customer satisfaction are at the heart of the Lexus offer, and it’s great to hear our customers are really feeling the benefit of that.”

The full What Car? Reliability Survey can be read here: www.whatcar.com/news/reliability-survey-2018/

On each of the two criteria, quality and reliability, the Lexus brand gets first place. In terms of quality, the percentage of satisfaction reaches 93.7%, compared to an overall average of 81.4%. The percentage of satisfaction in terms of reliability is 96.2%, while the average of all brands is 85.4%.

Lexus consistently leads customer satisfaction surveys around the world, especially JD Power US surveys (first place in 2018 for the seventh year in a row), but also in Europe with the Auto Express Driver Power survey in the United Kingdom, AutoIndex in Norway (first brand in 2018 for the seventh year in a row),