Land Rover takes another hit: a single repair on a used Discovery can cost as much as a new car

A new British used-car ranking has dealt another blow to Land Rover’s reputation. According to Warrantywise, the least reliable used car is the Land Rover Discovery: the model scored just 17.2 points out of 100.

The index isn’t built on social-media reviews from owners but on real repair requests. The calculation factors in claim frequency, the car’s age at the time of the fault, mileage and average labour time. The data covers the period from January 2023 to January 2026; only models with at least 250 cars on plan were eligible for the ranking.

The Discovery sits at the bottom not only because of how often it breaks. The average repair came to £2,050.24, while the most expensive single case reached £25,694.93. For anyone shopping a used premium SUV, that’s the central risk: the car may look like a bargain on the second-hand market, but a single serious repair can wipe out the whole saving.

The lower end of the ranking is dominated by large SUVs and executive saloons. Behind the Discovery come the BMW 7 Series with 18.7 points, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Audi A7 — both on 19.2. Land Rover took half of the bottom ten on its own: alongside the Discovery, the list includes the Range Rover Velar, Range Rover Sport, Discovery Sport and Defender 110.

The most expensive single repair across the entire bottom ten went to the Land Rover Discovery Sport — £44,401.48. The BMW 7 Series posted the highest average repair cost in the bottom ten at £2,467.37. So the issue isn’t just Land Rover — it’s the underlying logic of buying a complex premium car used: air suspension, electronics, all-wheel drive and other costly components age noticeably more expensively than they do on an ordinary hatchback.

At the other end of the ranking sits the Toyota Yaris. It came out as the most reliable used car with a score of 89.2. Next come the Kia Picanto on 86.8 and the Toyota Aygo on 83.8. The top ten includes eight models from Japan and Korea; from Europe, only the Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1 made the cut.

For the buyer, this isn’t a ranking about prestige — it’s about the cost of ownership. A big premium SUV can look tempting on the used market, right up until the workshop bill arrives. And the little Yaris is another reminder that sometimes the most boring car turns out to be the most peaceful purchase.