Our method

Where the data comes from

• Version specifications (power, consumption, CO₂ emissions): ADEME Car Labelling database (French environment agency), public data.
• Manufacturer recalls: RappelConso, the official French product recall website.
• Known faults: sources are cited below each fault. A fault backed by at least 2 separate websites is confirmed; a fault cited by a single website is published as “to be confirmed”, and the model's reliability score is then shown as indicative. When no fault is publicly documented, the page says so and reliability is not rated: a 5/5 score for lack of information would be misleading. These models are left out of our rankings. Prices: when there are not enough listings for a reliable estimate, the page shows “price unknown”.
• Market prices: our own survey of listings, described below.

Price survey

Until our survey has been carried out for a model, we show an indicative range published by an identified source (price guide, specialist press), with its link, its date and what it covers.

We survey listings from private sellers and dealers, model by model. Prices are grouped by model year and by 50,000 km band. The range shown is the middle half of the observed prices (1st to 3rd quartile): it excludes abnormally low or high listings.

A range is only published from 15 listings, and we always show the number of listings and the survey date. A survey older than 4 months is flagged for renewal. These are asking prices, not sale prices.

How the verdict is decided

Each guide receives one of these three verdicts, always written out in full:

• Buy: no recurring serious fault documented on the common versions;
• Buy with care: good versions exist, but some engines or years have costly faults, which the guide details;
• Avoid: serious and frequent faults affect most versions.

Reliability score

The score out of 5 is calculated, not estimated: we start from 5 and subtract 1 point per serious fault, 0.5 point per costly fault and 0.25 point per annoying fault documented, with a minimum of 1, rounded to the nearest half point. A fault cited by a single site (marked “to be confirmed”) counts for half; confirmed by two sites or by an official recall source, it counts in full. A serious fault is an engine or gearbox failure, or a safety defect without a recall; turbo, injector, particulate filter or clutch problems are costly faults. Manufacturer recalls, fixed free of charge by a dealer, are shown on each guide but do not cost points: you only need to check they were done. The score therefore reflects known, sourced faults. So that a recent model does not get a perfect score for lack of hindsight, the score is capped at 4/5 during its first three years on sale, then at 4.5/5 up to five years; the guide says so.

Nuanced badges

On cards and at the top of each guide, the badge combines the verdict and the reliability score, to distinguish for example a “buy with care” model with almost no defects from a model with several serious faults:

• Excellent choice“Buy” verdict and reliability of 4.5/5 or more
• Good choice“Buy” verdict and reliability below 4.5/5
• Good choice, check first“Buy with care” verdict and reliability of 4/5 or more
• Buy with care“Buy with care” verdict and reliability of 3 to 3.5/5
• Extra caution“Buy with care” verdict and reliability of 2 to 2.5/5
• Poor reliability“Buy with care” verdict and reliability below 2/5
• Avoid“Avoid” verdict, whatever the reliability

Real monthly cost

The monthly cost adds up fuel or electricity, insurance, maintenance and depreciation, for 12,000 km a year. When you change the mileage, fuel and maintenance are recalculated proportionally; insurance and depreciation stay fixed. The cost of any finance is not included.

Fuel or electricity: WLTP combined consumption of the recommended version, increased by 15% (typical gap between the official cycle and real-world driving), multiplied by the national average price (petrol, diesel) or the EDF regulated Base tariff for home charging. Insurance: average premium published by comparison sites for the model. Maintenance: average servicing and wear budget. Depreciation: value lost in a year by a typical example, according to used-car valuations. Each guide lists its sources under the cost.

How the adviser ranks models

The adviser suggests published models. It excludes those whose known price exceeds your budget (a model whose price is still being surveyed stays in the list, marked as such), and those that do not match your category, boot space or gearbox requirements, then calculates a score out of 100: reliability (40%), monthly cost relative to your budget (40%) and suitability of the powertrain for your journeys (20%). Without home charging, 100% electric models are not ranked. When a model's monthly cost is not yet sourced, the cost criterion uses its entry price.

Combustion or electric simulator

The simulator adds up the purchase price and the cost of energy, year after year, based on your mileage, your consumption figures and your prices. It does not include maintenance, insurance, resale or subsidies: it is a comparison of running costs, to be completed according to your situation.

Update frequency

Specifications and recalls are re-imported each time the official sources are updated. Prices are surveyed again once the survey is more than four months old. Each page shows its update date.

Independence

The website is free and funded by advertising (Google AdSense) and by partner links (affiliation): if you buy a service through a link marked “Partner link”, we may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you. Advertisers and partners do not choose the models presented, the verdicts or the rankings, and are never informed of our content in advance. Ads are labelled “Advertisement” and kept away from verdicts.

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