Operation of a car in Russia due to climatic and other factors is a rather big test for equipment. Not all car brands ensure the compliance of their products with this specifics - but as shown by the ratings of the most reliable cars available on the Russian market, there are brands of cars that are not badly adapted to local conditions of use. This is evidenced by their reliability.
Top 10 reliable models: national rating
The ranking of the most reliable cars sold in Russia is headed by the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado model, according to the popular resource Automobile of the Year, which collects statistics for the entire national market. In the nomination "Reliable cars" the car is ahead of competitors in the total combination of the following key parameters:
- the duration of the life of the car body parts; operational characteristics of units and assemblies;
- quality of factory assembly and used materials; security;
- adaptability to operation in Russian conditions; brand reputation;
- degree of universality regarding destination.
Also in the TOP 10 of the most reliable cars in Russia, along with the specified model from Toyota, include:
Subaru Forester;
Toyota Camry;
Toyota Land Cruiser 200;
Renault Logan;
Honda CR-V;
Toyota RAV4;
Volvo XC90;
Toyota Corolla;
Subaru Outback.
In addition, the portal's experts consider the models to be reliable models that are slightly inferior to those listed above in terms of the above criteria, but still deserving of high praise:
- Skoda Octavia;
- Hyundai Solaris;
- Toyota Fortuner;
- Ford Focus;
- KIA Rio;
- Renault Duster;
- AUDI Q7;
- Mitsubishi Outlander;
- Toyota Hilux;
- Volkswagen Touareg.
Separate studies are carried out by Russian experts on the second-hand car market. Let's get acquainted with their results.
The best used cars in Russia
The top 5 most reliable cars sold in the secondary market of Russian cars include:
Hyundai Solaris.
According to experts, the car is designed on average for mileage lasting 300 thousand kilometers without repair. The machine also received high marks from specialists in terms of combining reliability and price in the national secondary market.
Peugeot-508.
One of the factors of reliability of the machine, according to experts, is the availability of a high-tech automatic transmission made in Japan.
Volkswagen Polo (manual transmission).
In general, the high build quality of the machine, as well as its adaptability to difficult operating conditions, is noted.
Volkswagen Jetta.
Experts note that the highest level of reliability are machines of this brand, equipped with an engine that contains the BSE marking. It will provide mileage lasting more than 300 thousand kilometers.
Kia Sorento Prime.
Among the strengths of the car, experts include a technological brake system - which is combined with a good level of controllability of the car. Also, the car is quite passable.
Foreign ratings of the best cars also deserve attention - let's get acquainted with them too.
According to the U.S. edition of Consumer Reports, among the most reliable brands of machines sold in the U.S. are:
- Toyota 86 (known in Russia as Toyota GT86);
- Lexus ES;
- Kia Niro (hybrid crossover, almost not found in the Russian market);
- Audi Q3;
- BMW 2 Series;
- Subaru BRZ;
- Infiniti Q70;
- Honda CR-V;
- Hyundai Elantra.
When comparing the data on Russian and foreign ratings, it is obvious that the difference in the classification of models by segment should be taken into account, as well as the fact that in many cases the adaptability of foreign-made cars to Russian conditions of operation is limited.
Many potential car owners, when choosing a car, focus primarily on cars of Russian brands. They are not among the leaders in terms of the ratings under consideration, but they are still quite competitive in terms of certain reliability criteria, as experts manage to find out.
Within the framework of one of its studies (in which about 500 models of machines manufactured in 2013-2016 were studied), the Carprice portal carried out a comprehensive classification of the most popular machines sold in Russia - including those produced by domestic brands - according to various reliability criteria. It turned out the following. Indeed, according to the overall reliability rating, the position of the leading Russian manufacturers (UAZ and VAZ cars were considered) is not impressive - Carprice specialists put them in the "tail" of the list.
At the same time, the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant's cars turned out to be a little more reliable than the cars from Togliatti's conveyors and, besides, they even managed to surpass the products of a number of foreign brands - Fiat, FAW, Chery and SEAT (which made up the company for VAZ cars in the lowest part of the rating). It was also established that UAZ cars are superior in quality of bodywork materials to the world's most famous brands - Renault and Mitsubishi (which, in turn, produce cars that are regularly included in the top reliable models).
Also, the reliability of the body is assessed quite well. Thus it is possible to speak that the general technical condition of the Russian cars is estimated by experts not high - hence the general modest result UAZ and VAZ in a rating.
What can this mean in practice?
According to the common point of view, Russian models, being inferior to foreign models in reliability, in many cases are more repairable (and have lower cost of repair of similar assemblies and units - due to the presence in the market of many spare parts manufactured in Russia, while for foreign cars a significant part of parts is imported for currency). Therefore, even with a higher frequency of repair, the total cost of maintenance of Russian cars may not be higher, and even lower than in the operation of a foreign car - albeit superior to that produced by the domestic brand, in all ratings. This argument can be supported by the fact that the repair itself can be made, if not by itself - when applying to almost any technical center.
Specialists for qualified repair of foreign cars, as a rule, need to look for - and the prices for their services are sometimes far from socially oriented. Thus, taking into account the peculiarities of the Russian market (sensitivity to import prices, the prevalence of services, where it is possible to easily repair cars from national brands and, conversely, the lack of services under "foreigners", in some cases - personal preferences of car owners to buy their own, Russian), the ratings considered by us should be considered as a very large conventionality. Yes, they are important and informative, but in practice they can be only one of many factors in making decisions on the purchase of a car intended for use on Russian roads.