7:41 am, June 4, 2026
Used car dealers are used to dealing with problem cars day in, day out – but there are a breed of motors that they know they can rely on.
Every dealer has a list of cars they won’t buy, but there are some models that they always hunt down as they know the chances of a warranty claim will be minimal.
In our latest video, Car Dealer Magazine has been chatting to used car dealers across the country about the bulletproof vehicles they love to buy. And here they are…
Tesla Model 3 & Y
First on the list was the Tesla Model 3 and Y, picked by DB Automotive’s Danny Bond. With fewer moving parts than a petrol or diesel engine, there’s less to go wrong and dealers have found they’re very reliable.
Bond said: ‘For me the Tesla has been a stand out car. In terms of reliability, when I sell one I never really hear anything again.’
Lexus RX
At the premium end of the spectrum is the Lexus RX. The brand has long had a strong reputation for excellent build quality and reliability, but for Specialist Cars boss Umesh Samani, it’s the RX that leads the pack.
‘It’s got to be one of the most reliable cars on the road,’ said Samani, who also chairs the Independent Motor Dealers Association.
‘You know with the RX you’re going to get quality and incredible reliability.’
Toyota Yaris Hybrid
When it comes to small cars, few dealers would ever turn away a trusty Toyota Yaris.
They’re cheap to run, easy to sell and many will rack up huge mileages without causing major problems.
Craig Walker, of Culloden Cars, said: ‘I know it’s not the most sexiest of cars and, guess what, it will attract a certain type of customer that you’re going to have to deal with, but it’s one of those cars you can sell, bank and just forget about.’
Mazda 3 2.0 petrol
In our last video on the cars dealers avoid, we talked about the rather terrible Mazda 2.2 diesel engine – but here the brand redeems some love from dealers.
This time it’s the Mazda 3, CX-3 and CX-5 fitted with the 2.0-litre petrol engine – a simple power plant that seems capable of massive mileages.
Theo Cook, of Bowen’s Garage, said: ‘The Mazda 2.0-litre Skyactive petrol has to be one of the most reliable engines ever.
‘In 14 years of selling cars we’ve not had one 2.0-lite petrol come back and bite us on the bum.’
Toyota Aygo / Citroen C1 / Peugeot 107
For first time drivers, this trio is a rite of passage and a reliable one too. The jointly produced three-some offers cheap motoring to the just-passed masses and dealers love them because they’re solid too.
The little three-cylinder petrol engines are cheap to fix on the rare occasions they do go wrong, but that’s unusual.
Joe Betty, of the dealer YouTube channel Shifting Metal, said: ‘Those engines will go on forever and ever and they barely seem to need any maintenance at all.
‘They are always in demand by young drivers and people who want a second car and they’re very simple to work on.’
BMW 118i
Usually, high mileage BMWs fill dealers with dread, but the BMW 118i with the 1.5-litre petrol engine has a surprisingly good reputation for reliability.
Dealers say they’re economical, dependable and relatively simple by modern BMW standards.
James McConville, of Solo Car Sales, said: ‘If I was asked for one car that is the most reliable at this moment in time I’d go German, BMW and say it’s the 1.5-litre 118i engine – I think that engine is just bulletproof.’
Toyota GT86
It’s unusual to find a sports car in a list of reliable cars, but dealers seem to love the Toyota GT86 and its Subaru sister, the BRZ.
Dealers told us it’s a simple, lightweight, rear-wheel drive car that is, crucially, very reliable.
‘We don’t think you can go wrong with a Toyota GT86 and for a sports car that will get a fair amount of stick from the customers who drive it, they absolutely never seem to come back with warranty issues,’ confirmed Jamie Caple of Derby-based dealer Car Quay.
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