TÜV Report 2021: The winner of the reliability test is again Mercedes GLC, Škoda is average, Dacia failed

Experts from the TÜV institute claim that the quality of cars is growing. When evaluating the current TÜV Report, they found that the proportion of serious defects decreased, while the proportion of cars without defects increased.

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The German TÜV association has published its traditional TÜV Report, a car reliability statistic calculated on the basis of an evaluation of the results of a technical inspection of vehicles in all TÜV companies in Germany. Just like last year, TÜV Report 2021 also controlled the Mercedes-Benz GLC.

Reliability statistics are proving to be even more important than ever for car enthusiasts, especially this year. Even due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of used cars sold increased not only in Germany.

Available cars also score points

Of course, the good news is that a lower price and a higher age do not automatically mean a loss of quality. “A number of cheap models are among the top 10 vehicles. And even after six, seven or more years, they still have an excellent rating. “ emphasizes the important conclusion of this year’s TÜV Report Patrick Fruth, Director of the Mobility Division at TÜV SÜD.

A look at the statistics shows that reliable cars do not necessarily have to be expensive, and quality does not have to be a sign of the privileged position of premium manufacturers. For example, vehicles such as the Mazda 2, Opel Adam or Honda Jazz with a low defect rate at the first technical inspection after three years also score points.

“These vehicles are robust, compact and offer modern, reliable technology. That is why they are popular, among other things, for professional use, for example in care services, “ specifies Patrick Fruth. At the same time, urban traffic is particularly demanding in terms of material wear. “Frequent braking, load changes, approaching curbs. A typical consequence of driving in the city is such high wear of the brakes, wheels, but also the chassis, “ Fruth explains.

And readers of the TÜV Report will find these models even after several years of use among the vehicles with the least number of defects during the technical inspection. This is confirmed by the view of the evaluation of seven-year-old vehicles – Opel Adam (with a share of serious defects of 10.3), Mazda 2 (10.5) and Honda Jazz (11.7). And with mileage from 61,000 to 68,000, which is already a respectable number for such small cars. In addition, these numbers demonstrate the efficiency of maintenance. Those who subject their vehicle to regular inspections still have a reliable car even after many kilometers and years.

The Opel Insignia, which took second place with a 2.2% share of serious defects, together with the Porsche 911 and the Mercedes B-Class, was among the best in the evaluation of three-year-old cars. Only the aforementioned Mercedes GLC performed better.

Dacie on the tail, and what a pity?

But a cheap car is not always a good choice. Dacie Lodgy and Duster were placed on the tail of the table, for which roughly every tenth specimen does not pass the technical inspection. Third from the end is the Fiat Punto with 10.5%.

On the contrary, Škoda cars belong to the average. Among cars with a production year of 2017 and 2018, the Fabia reached the 57th place with a share of 5.2% of serious defects, which was the same as for the BMW 1 and 2 or Toyota Aygo. The Škoda Rapid is similar, with a share of 5.4 serious defects. The Škoda Superb was the worst with a share of 7.3% of serious defects, which meant the 108th place.

On the contrary, among vehicles with a production year of 2015 and 2016, the Škoda Superb is paradoxically the best of the evaluated Mladá Boleslav models, while the current third generation also falls into this category. With a share of 6.6% serious defects, she finished in 25th place, as did Seat Altea. The worst is the Roomster in 94th place with a share of 10.5% of serious defects. But it is still an average, not a below-average result.

In this case, the Volkswagen Sharan and Volkswagen Passat CC are on the tail. Dacia models are also among the worst, but there is also Sharan’s brother, Seat Alhambra.

In the case of nine-year-old cars, the raid and the number of serious defects logically increase. In addition to the seasonal sports cars, the Mitsubishi ASX or Audi Q5 and the BMW X1 are among the best. On the tail, on the other hand, there are cars such as the Dacia Logan and Sandero, Renault Kangoo and Twingo or Fiat Panda, in which more than 30% of cars did not pass the technical inspection for the first time.

Honda Jazz or Volkswagen Golf Plus scored in the category of the oldest rated cars up to 11 years of age, while Dacia Logan and Renault Kangoo are again among the worst. However, this also includes the Hyundai Tucson or Mazda 5, for which a third of the owners have to have a repeated technical inspection.

Defects decrease, but rust increases

In general, in any case, the number of serious defects is decreasing. “Quality is rising year-on-year – the proportion of defects is falling. This development has been stabilizing for several years, “says Fruth. The average share of serious defects is currently 19.9%, which is 1.6% less than a year ago. In particular, it concerns 1.75 million cars, which account for 0.4% of vehicles with dangerous defects. Almost 70% of vehicles, which corresponds to 6.18 million cars, pass the test without any defects. The share of minor defects is currently 9.6 percent.

The results also showed no worrying trend in terms of components. Only in areas such as the chassis, frame and bodywork did the experts record a minimal growth of 1.3% compared to the previous monitoring period, which, according to TÜV SÜD experts, may be partly affected by corrosion. On the contrary, oil leaks are less frequent, as has improvements in lighting.

The most common faults continue to include headlights that are too low, malfunctioning rear fog lights or defective lamps. Such defects are considered to be serious or dangerous for safety reasons.

The TÜV Report is published annually by TÜV e. V. (VdTÜV). The TÜV Report 2021 includes all the results of technical inspections from all TÜV companies in Germany – specifically, there were almost nine million technical inspections performed from July 2019 to June 2020.

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