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Hi Michael,

There are no major reported issues for the SEAT Exeo (and SEATs tend to be pretty solidly reliable) and the Insignia generally only suffers from minor electrical issues (usually in the central locking and alarm system) and the boot seals (which can leak and let in water). Of the two, we’d go for the Insignia - it’s roomier, it’s nicer to drive and looks and feels a bit more prestigious.

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Hi Sean,

It probably won’t. Opel confirmed at the Paris Motor Show last year that there won’t be right-hand drive production of the Ampera-e and that position has not yet changed. If there’s a sudden jump in demand from the UK and Ireland for electric cars, then Opel may well reconsider, but for now, we won’t be getting it. 

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Hi Anthony,

According to the EuroNCAP crash test experts, the three best-performing cars tested in 2016 were the Toyota Prius, Hyundai Ioniq and Volkswagen Tiguan. That said, the NCAP crash test is a laboratory test, and its parameters can be designed in to a car's structure. Only two car makers still have teams that investigate real-world accidents involving their cars and they are Volvo and Mercedes-Benz. Generally speaking, if I'm thinking of safety above all else, those are the two brands I'd look at. 

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Hi Alma,

The Nissan Leaf is the most affordable electric car, but the cheapest versions have limited range (less than 160km on a single charge). The new Renault Zoe has a brilliant claimed range of 400km, but that's quite pricey for a small car. The BMW i3 is probably the best electric car around at the moment, but is very expensive, sadly. So, I think the best one for affordability and useable range is probably the Hyundai Ioniq. It gets an easy 200km in real-world driving, it's roomy and not too expensive. Read our test drives of each below:

BMW i3 review

Hyundai Ioniq Electric review

Nissan Leaf review

Renault Zoe review

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Hi Robert,

The estate (or 'Grand Megane' as Renault insisted on calling it) TomTom edition was announced in 2009 and introduced to the market in 2010. It was much better built and more reliable than the previous Megane, but there are still some weak points to keep an eye out for. Those include fragile fuel line clips, burned out coil packs on the 1.6 petrol, particulate filter problems on the 1.5 diesel, electrical problems especially with the windows and the heating system and premature clutch wear. 

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Hi Lorraine,

They're OK from the point of view of reliability (although the 1.5 diesel can suffer from blown turbos and you need to keep an eye on the electrical systems), but if they're the same price then go for the Laguna - it's a much more sophisticated and better-driving car than the Fluence. 

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Hi Des,

You’ll need to check for a blown turbo (lots of smoke, no power) and also check that the diesel particulate filter hasn’t become clogged up if the mileage is low. The electric windows and ventilation fan are fragile, and make sure that the clutch is engaging cleanly as for some reason replacing the clutch is an expensive job on a Fluence.

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Hi Philip,

The stories about jump-starting a car frying its 'delicate' electronics is absolute garbage. As long as you connect the two batteries together correctly (or, as you point out, a jump-start pack) then you should be fine. Not everything on the internet is true, remember...

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Hi Tom,

Yes, it is. Renault has really gotten on top of the quality issues that plagued the brand in the early 2000s and the fact that the engine (and pretty much all the bits you can’t see) are shared with Nissan should tell you a lot about their potential reliability.

We have heard of that 1.5 engine blowing turbos, but it seems to be a relatively rare issue. Nonetheless, as it ages you should definitely keep an eye on the various electrical and electronic systems as they can throw up niggling problems. That said, if you stick to the service schedule, it should be fine.

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Hi Ciaran,

No major glaring problems. They can develop electrical gremlins, especially with the central locking and alarm systems, and the boot seals can leak, letting in water, but as long as you buy one with a full service history you shouldn’t have too much to worry about.