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Hi Mai,

OK, lots to choose from here. Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Toyota Auris are all ever popular and all with very good reason. They're reliable (the Toyota scoring best here), beautifully made (the Golf come out top in this category) and nice to drive (the Focus wins here). Lots of all three about so you can afford to be picky. Fancy something a bit different? Try a Honda Civic, especially the 1.6 i-DTEC diesel version, which is possibly the best compact diesel engine around.

Also well worth a look are the Kia cee'd (especially the handsome and practical estate version) and the current model of the Peugeot 308 (ditto on the estate version there).

Relevant reviews:

Volkswagen Golf review

Ford Focus review

Toyota Auris review

Honda Civic review

Kia cee'd review

Peugeot 308 review

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Hi Eamonn,

Do you mean big or small? Actually, the new Fiat 500x we've just driven could be a good shout for a small crossover, or if you don't fancy that, take a look at the MINI Countryman.

Something more medium? There are only two players really - Skoda Yeti or Nissan Qashqai. Ford Kuga is also worth a look, but only the current model, not the old one.

Bigger than that? Honda's CR-V is always a good one, or if you're buying new have a long, hard look at the latest Kia Sorento.

Relevant reviews:

Fiat 500X review

MINI Countryman review

Ford Kuga review

Skoda Yeti review

Nissan Qashqai review

Honda CR-V review

Kia Sorento review

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Hi Michael,

Actually an ideal car for what you need by the sounds of it. Generally Hondas are near-faultlessly reliable but you do need to watch for a few things on the CR-V. Alternators can give bother, as can the air conditioning and some of the interior trim can be a bit fragile.

Also, check to make sure that any previous owners haven't gotten too ambitious with the off-roading and damaged the underside. 

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Hi Neasa,

I know what you mean, although it's worth pointing out that the Kuga can be had with a five-year warranty right now. I actually think that the Kuga is a very underrated car - it's spacious, handsome and really good to drive. The Kia still looks good but in terms of its cabin, engine and chassis you can sense that it's ageing a bit now, and a new model is due next year. 

Incidentally, don't make a final decision until you try a 1.6 i-DTEC Honda CR-V. Cracking car - slightly more expensive than the Ford or Kia, but worth a look for its high quality, reliability and cabin space.

Further reading:

Ford Kuga review

Kia Sportage review

Honda CR-V 1.6 i-DTEC review

Expert answer

Hi Damian,

It's an Eamon Dunphy car - it's not great. Comfy, reasonably spacious and with decent reliability, but there are better SUVs out there. Try a Honda CR-V or Hyundai Santa Fe before you buy.

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Hi John,

OK, there's good news and bad news here. The good news is that the four marques of which you've spoken have all really lifted their quality and reliability games. Renault especially has come on a long way since the dark, unreliable days of the early 2000s. While electrical gremlins are pretty much guaranteed further down the line, that's something you could equally say of any Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi.

Dacia tend also to make very reliable cars, in no small part because they're so simple and lacking in the sort of high-end electronics that festoon other models. The brand regularly features very high up in the European JD Power customer satisfaction rankings.

Fiat tends to do less well in those rankings, but much of that is down to a dealer network that's still trying to get its head around modern customer service requirements. The fact is that Fiats these days are no more or less well made or reliable than any other brand (mostly - more on that in a tic). Certainly, we know of many Fiat customers who've had trouble-free motoring for many, many years.

Citroen too has really lifted its game and the latest generations, such as the C4 Picasso and C4 Cactus are really well put together. Long term reliability is still an unknown of course for these new models, but in general, longevity seems to be on the up.

However, just as these Franco-Italian brands have improved, so too have the Japanese and Koreans. There is still a distinct gap in overall solidity between the Japanese brands (Honda especially) and everyone else. It's still the case that if you want genuinely trouble-free motoring, the Japanese are still kings, with the Koreans and Skoda hot on their heels.

That said, I reckon if you bought any Fiat, looked after it properly and made sure it was fully serviced to schedule, you wouldn't have any major problems.

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Hi Barbara,

It's always cheaper overall to stick with the car you've got and repair it, unless we're talking about an old Ferrari or something...

I'd say a new timing chain could keep your Micra going for a good long while yet but if you really want to change to something new then your best bets, in terms of similarly sized cars, are the Honda Jazz, Toyota Yaris, Skoda Fabia, Volkswagen Polo or SEAT Ibiza.

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Hi Aoife,

The most reliable small car? Pretty much, yep. I'd say the only others that match it are the Honda Jazz and Mazda2. The Volkswagen Group triplets - Polo, Skoda Fabia and SEAT Ibiza - would come close to that level of reliability too and the Nissan Micra's not bad either.

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Hi Simon,

Both are excellent choices. In fact the RAV4 probably doesn't quite get the attention it deserves - it's good to drive, spacious and well made. Good value too. 

That said I think I'd go for the CR-V. The 1.6 i-DTEC front-drive model would probably be sufficient. It's very spacious, really comfy and good on economy too. There is a new four-wheel drive 1.6 160hp version on the way though, so it may be worth waiting until that arrives in the summer before you make a final decision.

Further reading:

Irish road test of the Toyota RAV4

Irish road test of the Honda CR-V 1.6 i-DTEC

Expert answer

Hi Rosarie,

Go for the Civic. It might be slightly more thirsty but Civics are indestructible so it'll cope with the roads.