According to research, used cars of these brands are the most unreliable

Used cars are popular, but they can be a pain

Buying a used car is a solution that definitely makes sense for many reasons. Half a million used vehicles are sold here every year, while only about 221,000 new cars were sold last year. When it comes to new cars, the home brand Škoda is still popular among Czechs, even though, or perhaps because, it is part of the German concern Volkswagen Group. Czechs most often buy new Škoda cars, but what about used cars? Which brands and models to watch out for?

See what the experts on the Consumer Reports YouTube channel have to say about used cars commonly sold in the United States. Of course, these cars are also on our market, but definitely to a lesser extent than in North America.

Are used cars a bad choice? The price is especially attractive

So how is it with used cars on our market? Czechs prefer to buy Škoda, Volkswagen and Ford brands, which they simply trust, are generally affordable and popular. The big attraction for anyone who wants to buy a used car is above all the difference in the price of a new and a used car. It depends a lot on the kilometers driven, any defects in the past, but the price, which decreases with each passing year, is crucial.

The percentage price reduction may also vary depending on demand, car model or exclusivity, however, the price usually drops roughly like this.

• 0 to 1 year old vehicles tend to be cheaper by 10 to 20%.
• 2 to 3 year old cars are cheaper by 25 to 30%.
• 4 to 5 year old cars by 40 to 50%.
• And so on. Cars over 10 years old can be valued at as little as 10-15% of the original price.

Which used cars are downright bad?

What to look out for with used cars here? On the Czech market, we do not have sufficiently good data on vehicle failure rates, but we can certainly use information from the German Technischer Überwachungsverein, or TÜV, which is a non-profit organization that collects data from regular technical inspections and aims to provide important and true information to consumers, thanks to which they can better orient themselves to market. So what does the TÜV think about cars that are also sold here?

The popular Škoda Octavia and Fabia are considered average to above-average cars in terms of their reliability. Of course, this decreases with age, and the older you are, the more common the problems with the chassis and corrosion.

In tow are Volkswagen cars, especially the Passat and Golf models. However, the slightly more reliable Golf can have electronic faults, while the Passat is more likely to have problems with the emission system or turbocharger.

Fords such as the Focus or Mondeo models are also quite common here. The popular Focus often has chassis and suspension problems over the years. The Mondeo will cease production in 2022, but spare parts should still be produced for 10 years after the end of production. Diesel Mondeas are averagely reliable cars that tend to have diesel particulate filter and turbo issues.

Cars from Asian brands are also popular in the Czech Republic, such as Toyota, Hyundai and Kia. Toyota Corolla and Yaris belong to above average reliable cars. The Corolla is even one of the least defective cars according to the TÜV ranking. This is mainly due to the reliable engine and car control system.
The Hyunadi i30 and Kia Ceed are popular used cars and according to TÜV they have one of the best ratings in terms of price/performance ratio. These models may have malfunctioning electronics, but they are very reliable.

When it comes to TÜV certification across all brands for used cars within 3 years of purchase, the following cars are among the most reliable:

1. VW Golf Sportsvan
2. Audi Q2
3. Audi TT
4. Mercedes B Class
5. Mercedes GLC
6. VW e-Golf
7. VW T-Roc
8. Mitsubishi ASX
9. Toyota RAV4
10. Audi Q5

On the other hand, the most unreliable cars within 3 years of purchase, which you should watch out for, are:

1. Tesla Model 3
2. Dacia Logan
3. Seat Alhambra
4. Opel Crossland
5. Dacia Dokker
6. Shame Scala
7. Ford Galaxy
8. Skoda Superb
9. VW Sharan
10. Dacia Sandero

Sources: rd.com, cebia.cz