Reliability of German cars in 2019: myths and reality

This article is dated as shown. Laws, fees and prices have changed since then. Check the figures before you rely on them.

In this article we would like to look at one of the most important characteristics of a car, namely its reliability.

The most reliable cars are German cars. At one time nobody disputed this statement, and German cars really were the benchmark for quality and reliability. It is hard to say exactly when the era of German leadership ended, but doubts began to appear around the mid-1990s, when cars were gradually becoming more and more complex and were also facing higher demands for fuel economy and lower emissions. The situation worsened further in the 2000s. That was when, for example, BMW started to “experiment” with higher oil operating temperatures in its engines, while VAG actively rolled out first engines with direct fuel injection (Fuel Stratified Injection, FSI), then turbocharged ones (TFSI) and then dual-clutch automated gearboxes (DSG). These “tests on consumers” are what undermined trust in German cars. And it is precisely these abbreviations (TFSI, DSG) that are behind the main fears of buyers of used VAG group cars.

So what is the situation today? Engines have become even more complex and the demands for lower emissions and better fuel economy have only grown, so reliability must have become even worse? In fact, it is quite the opposite. In our view, the reliability of German cars has improved considerably over the last decade. To confirm this, we can turn to the most authoritative automotive organisation in Germany, the ADAC (the German automobile club). This organisation keeps reliability statistics that can be trusted. After all, it is the staff of this very organisation who will come to your aid if something happens to your car and it cannot continue on its way. Most insurance companies and other services across Europe use its services. And the club has more than 20 million motorists as members!

Statistics of the German automobile club ADAC

The ADAC website provides car reliability statistics from 2007 to 2018 (link to the statistics). They show the average number of breakdowns (for which ADAC assistance was called out) per 1,000 cars registered in Germany. The statistics are also broken down by model production year, starting from 2015. This means that the statistics for new cars (up to 2 years old) are not analysed in 2018 because of the high reliability of these cars. If you look at the 2008 report, however, 10 years ago the ADAC still provided statistics for 1 to 2 year old cars, and the number of breakdowns of new cars 10 years ago was higher than the number of breakdowns of 3 year old cars today!

Based on this data, you can follow the trend in reliability and also compare different makes. So, the results for 2018 (full report):

• The most common breakdown is a flat battery (almost 40 percent of cases), followed by faults in the engine and its management (21 percent), then other problems (body, steering, brakes, suspension, drivetrain, 13 percent), electrical problems (10 percent) and other faults.
• According to the ADAC statistics, the most reliable models were the BMW X3 and the BMW 4 Series: three year old cars had no more than one breakdown per 1,000 cars!
• The least reliable was the 2008 Hyundai i30 with 106 faults per 1,000 cars.

But let us return to German cars: how do things stand with their reliability today? Analysing the statistics, it becomes clear that since at least 2008 German cars have been comparable in reliability with manufacturers from other countries, and some models take the top places in the reliability ranking. The reliability of German cars at 3 to 5 years of age is even more striking. Of course, this depends very much on the specific models and production years, but in any case they are not inferior to, and often surpass, Japanese cars (which are still deservedly considered the benchmark when it comes to reliability).

The main problems of modern cars

Which reliability problems does the 2018 ADAC report draw our attention to? With the introduction of new emissions requirements for cars, the number of problems with the exhaust gas recirculation valve (EGR/AGR) has increased. As early as 2013, 10 percent of all problems with diesel VW Golfs were related to this valve. However, as the ADAC noted, these problems did not necessarily occur at other manufacturers (Mercedes, for example, had no significant problems) and were also fixed by Volkswagen in subsequent models.

In addition, the report contains information on the typical faults of individual makes and models. ADAC reports are generally very interesting, and we advise anyone considering buying a used car to study the relevant statistics when choosing a car. As we have already said, the website offers reports from 2007 to 2018 (and probably earlier ones in the archives). The 2007 report gave statistics for cars from 2002 onwards.

For our part, we would like to add that we also notice this trend when inspecting used cars. It is no coincidence that we very often prefer 2 to 3 year old cars with high mileage. These cars often have a greater margin of durability and reliability than older models (5 to 10 years old, for example). In addition, over the last 10 years German manufacturers (and not only German ones, of course) have taken a big step forward in terms of engine fuel economy and driver assistance systems (systems such as adaptive cruise control, lane keeping and collision avoidance are already becoming standard on many models). This is also a very important factor when choosing a car.

We understand that the statements in this article are quite debatable, and each of you can give examples from real life that contradict the German statistics. Our aim was not to convince you of the reliability of German cars in particular. We believe that every motorist should be guided by their own wishes and needs when choosing a car. We see our goal as providing enough information for you to make the right decision. And, of course, we are always ready to advise you and to help both with choosing a make and model and with finding a specific car!