What are the vehicle reliability rankings really worth?
What are the often forgotten vehicle comparison criteria?

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Just type "vehicle reliability" or "dependability" on any search engine and you will get a plethora of results with many rankings that change from year to year and claim to provide an accurate answer to one of the most passionate debates !

1- Car reliability / dependability obvious facts

Reliability as defined in most surveys and studies is about some statistics for the first 3 years or 50,000 Km of a lifetime of vehicles.

It counts the number of times the vehicle has had a problem and classifies the brands by comparing the average number of times vehicles returned to the workshop under warranty.
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Other market studies try to gather data for similar or longer periods from motor inspection services, insurers, workshops, etc.

Dependability as defined above is impacted by the below facts:
  1. More sophisticated and option loaded vehicles are less dependable than simpler vehicles
  2. Vehicles passing stricter anti-emission standards are less dependable than vehicles passing previous standards
  3. Vehicles manufactured in a country are less dependable on the national market than foreign imported vehicles because often sold first on the national market and in larger numbers at the very beginning of a launch of a model.
  4. Mass-producing brands are less dependable on the markets "mass-buying" them because such cars suffer from poor maintenance and harsh use on these markets.
  5. Brands who use newer components when changing models are less dependable than the ones who create new models out of old and proven components.
  6. In a particular year, vehicles of a newly launched model are less dependable compared to the equivalent competitor model if the latter is in its end-of-cycle life i.e. has been manufactured for more than 4 or 5 years.
  7. What is the real difference between reliability / dependability ranks, up to which extents a vehicle ranking # n is better than the one ranking # (n+1)?
  8. Reliability does change following the manufacturer's upgrade of the defective parts, even if such parts were not subject to a recall program. 

2- What about durability of vehicles?

Durability is related to so many factors that extend the vehicle lifetime regardless of the vehicle dependability.
This is what sustainability is about even if the car model has an average or poor reliability index:
  1. Robust construction of the body
  2. Thickness of the metal parts
  3. Heavy duty suspension, strong steering mechanism, lesser need to perform wheel alignment.
  4. Non-scratch and longer lifetime interior plastics
  5. Good rubber components longevity
  6. Metal door handles used on exterior and interior 
  7. Heavy duty door hinges and locks
  8. Ability to come back to a like-new state after a major repair 
  9. Ability to withstand temporary overload
  10. Ability to carry the maximum number of passengers in the same safety level than if carrying one or two passengers.
  11. Thickness and quality of the body paint
  12. Bumper strength on small and minor collisions 

3- The most important features a car is assumed to provide

These main and most important features are often forgotten by car buyers:
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  1. Comfort, silence and good vibrations filtering
  2. Overall cabin space and luminosity
  3. Rear seats real ability to accommodate 2 or 3 persons... 
  4. Road handling and stability
  5. Short braking distance​​
  6. Good passive safety rating i.e. not necessarily the best, just good enough.
  7. Elegant and long-lasting design and aesthetics

4- Vehicle monthly cost of usage

The monthly cost for vehicle usage varies from one car or brand to another based on the below non-reliability related factors:
  1. Engine size or power compared to the vehicle size
  2. Engine size or power compared to the vehicle's intended use
  3. Size of trims and tires
  4. Scheduled maintenance intervals
  5. Availability and cost of spare parts
  6. Exclusivity of the spares or if parts are compatible with other makes and models
  7. Easiness of access to the maintainable parts​

Conclusion: what are the vehicle reliability rankings (and debates...) really worth?

The importance or weight of the above topics is suggested here below.
Use your own ratios as you wish if you do not agree with these.
In all cases, reliability alone will never account for 100% of a car evaluation criteria...
1
2
3
4
Reliability ........................................
Durability ........................................
Most important features .................
Monthly cost ...................................
15%
35%
35%
15%

See also our comprehensive tutorials for car maintenance: