Row.co.uk Blog

Most Reliable Car in the UK for 2020

No car owner would knowingly choose an unreliable vehicle. For reasons of safety, value for money and simply trusting your car’s ability to get you from A to B without any hassle, reliability matters.

But what are the most reliable cars on our roads? With dozens of manufacturers jostling for position trying to sell hundreds of different models of car, that’s not an easy question to answer. Every car maker claims their vehicles are supremely reliable, for obvious reasons. And while there are plenty of independent studies carried out to assess reliability, they all seem to come out with different answers as to which marques breakdown the least .

Not very helpful for anyone trying to pick out a reliable new car purchase.

To help out, we’ve had a look at three of the most referred-to studies in the UK - the Reliability Index, the What Car? Reliability Survey and Car Buyer’s Driver Power survey - to pick out the names that are rated highest across all three. On that basis, here’s our perspective on the top three most reliable cars you can currently purchase in the UK.

Hyundai i Series

most reliable cars hyundai series car in showroom

The Hyundai i Series spans a broad range of hatchback types and budgets, from small city runarounds to sporty sedan-type designs. But one thing they all have in common is impressive ratings for reliability. Both the i10 and i20 make the current top 10 of the Reliability Index, at positions six and eight respectively. The i10 ranks fifth in the City and Small Car category of the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, with an overall reliability rating of 97.6%. The i30, meanwhile, appears in third place in the Family Car category with a similar rating of 97.7%. Overall, given how consistently all i Series models seem to perform across different surveys, we would have to conclude that these are currently the most reliable cars available in the UK.

Honda Jazz

most reliable cars in the Uk Honda Jazz showroom car parked outside showroom

The Honda Jazz outperforms both the Hyundai i10 and i20 in the What Car? City and Small Car category, achieving second place with an impressive 93.8% rating. If you want further confirmation of how trustworthy this popular small car is, look no further than the Reliability Index, where it again pips both the i10 and i20 with a fifth-placed ranking overall.

Volvo XC40


Most Reliable Car UK car Volvo outside showroom Volvo XC40

One of the difficulties in comparing different reliability surveys is that different studies seem to have clear biases to different types of car. The Reliability Index, for example, clearly favours smaller vehicles, while the Car Buyer Driver Power survey comes out very much in the pro-SUV camp. In the interests of balance, therefore, here’s an offering from the latter. The Driver Power survey ranks the Volvo XC40 as the most reliable vehicle out there full stop, with a 98% reliability rating from owners. The fact that it also ranks second in the What Car? Family SUV category, with a rating of 98.4%, is good enough for us to include it here.


*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

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Car Hire - The Do's and Dont's

Row.co.uk Blog

Car Hire - The Do's and Dont's

Car hire excess insurance is an essential form of motoring cover that will pay for the excess on a rental vehicle if the car is damaged during the hire period. With excesses running into hundreds or thousands of pounds -- and hire companies charging full excesses for the smallest damage -- it is sensible to consider getting one of these policies before you leave.

The cost of car hire excess insurance is usually very manageable, but check the terms carefully before signing up.

Where and When Are You Covered?

When you buy a travel insurance policy, and you opt for multi-trip, you then need to decide which territories you’ll be visiting during the time your policy is active.

Multi-trip car hire excess insurance policies generally work the same way.

So if you’re only going to be holidaying within Europe this year, it makes sense to buy a policy that covers you in Europe only. If you’re going to venture outside Europe, be sure to get a policy that provides annual worldwide cover.

In terms of timing and length of policy, the main thing to check is that the cover won’t expire before you fly back. So you’ll need to check:

     The start and end dates; you can start the policy on the first day of your first trip to get maximum time from it, so double-check that this date is selected as it may not be the date you buy the policy

     Check whether the insurer will cover you for the entire trip; there might be a limit on the number of days you can be away, and long-term visits might exceed that.

Buying Online vs Buying On Arrival

Car hire excess insurance is available via two key routes. You can either purchase it when you hire your vehicle, or you can buy it separately -- usually online.

We always recommend that you buy it online, because:

     Buying online gives you more time to review the terms of the excess insurance and determine that it covers you in the right circumstances

     Prices are generally more competitive via third parties, and buying online gives you chance to compare and contrast

     Online policies tend to have more options; for example, you can choose either an annual policy or a single trip one; buying from your insurer may mean you only have one option.

Queueing in the hot sun with kids, or luggage, is no fun at the best times. At the end of a long flight, nobody really wants to be stuck at the car rental desk for any longer than absolutely necessary, and you probably won’t want an extra set of terms and conditions to read.

Getting your cover sorted beforehand does away with that extra hassle. You can simply attend the rental office, pick up the keys and go -- being sure, of course, to decline the excess insurance provided by the hire company. It is sensible to take a print-out showing details of your own car hire excess insurance so that you can demonstrate you already have cover in place.

car hire man giving car keys

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

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