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Hi Denise,

No, you should be OK. Renault reliability and quality has come on a long way since the bad old days of the early 2000s. Check it out carefully and make sure it has a full service history.

Relevant review:

Renault Fluence Z.E. review

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Hi Shane,

It's complicated because some of the providers are also providers to the providers - for instance Bank of Ireland provides the finance for many of the car companies themselves. 

Generally speaking though, it's a list of the usual suspects - AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB, Ulster Bank and the Credit Unions followed by the big car company banks - Volkswagen Bank, Renault Bank, BMW Finance. There are some leasing companies too such as Lease Plan but they don't really work with individuals.

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Hi Jacqueline,

I wouldn't wait for the Ka. It's being designed primarily for Asian and low-cost markets, so it probably won't be the most refined, comfortable or high-tech. That's perhaps jumping the gun on the review a bit, but it's certainly likely to be the case. Of the cars you've listed I'd say the Hyundai i10 and Skoda Fabia are the standouts. They're quite different cars (the i10 is significantly smaller than the Skoda), but both are excellent to drive, well-made, reliable and offer excellent value. Have a try of both, and see which one suits your needs, size-wise, better.

Further reading:

Hyundai i10 review

Skoda Fabia review

Peugeot 208 review

Renault Clio review

Toyota Yaris review

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Hi Dave,

Well, it's been a few years since we drove one... The RX4 was Renault's idea of an SUV based on the practical family friendly Scenic. It had higher ride height, plastic bash-panels and permanent four-wheel drive. 

If you're thinking of buying one check the electrical systems very carefully and also check the suspension, as it could be very fragile. The cabin is a weak point too with disintegrating trim. Also, as it's a practical 4x4, check for abuse at the hands of builders and the like using them on sites.

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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 Eva,

All of the ones you picked there are quite low slung but they're also all comfy so shouldn't present any major issues with seat height. 

The Mazda and Hyundai are going to be the most reliable and generally I'd go for the Mazda, but you'll want to go for the 1.5 petrol (if you're doing short journeys mostly) or wait for the new 1.5 diesel as the 2.2 diesel is just too thirsty day-to-day.

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Hi Noelle,

The price seems about OK, but I think the engine has been misadvertised - the smallest engine for that generation of Clio was a 1.2.

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Hi Breda,

Dacia is a stand-alone brand, not an actual Renault model (although the company is owned by Renault and shares its components with various Renault models). They're cheap and cheerful - you really do get what you pay for, which is basic, no frills transport. Nothing wrong with that, and by and large reliability seems to be a strong point, but don't go in expecting sophistication.

Expert answer

Hi Irene,

Nothing major to report and by then Renault seemed to have sorted out most of its reliability and build issues. You will suffer crippling depreciation but the worst falls in value will already be behind the car. 

Expert answer

Hi Irene,

You know what? Just don't... The actual build quality and solidity aren't so bad, but the Koleos is dull to look at, dull to drive (and thirsty for what it is) and has a really cheap and nasty interior. If you really want a Renault SUV, then why not have a look at the current Captur? It's smaller than the Koleos but a lot nicer. Or wait until later this year when Renault brings out its long-awaited Qashqai rival.