Combined findings from 15 years of reports on automotive reliability suggest Japanese cars have the best record, with Mitsubishi Lancer coming in at the top.

The top 10 most reliable cars since 1997

1 Mitsubishi Lancer (2005-2008)
2 Vauxhall/Opel Agila (00-08) (rebadged Suzuki Wagon-R)
3 Suzuki Alto (97-06)
4 Toyota Aygo (05-)
5= Honda HR-V (98-06)
5= Volvo S40 (96-04)
7 Mazda MX-5 (05-)
8= Mercedes E Class (06-)
8= Toyota Yaris (99-03)
10 Honda Jazz (01-08)


The 10 least reliable cars since 1997

1 Audi RS6 (02-11)
2 BMW M5 (04-11)
3 Mercedes SL (02-)
4 Mercedes V-Class (96-04)
5 Mercedes CL (00-07)
6 Audi A6 Allroad (00-05)
7 Bentley Continental GT (03-)
8 Porsche 911 (996) (01-06)
9 Land Rover Range Rover (02-)
10 Citroen XM (94-00)

"Over the years, we've seen countless new technologies introduced to cars -- they are now more complex than ever and, while many innovations are geared towards important considerations, like safety, it also means there is more and more that can go wrong,"
Mitsubishi Lancer is most reliable car of the last 15 years - Yahoo! News Philippines