Ask Honest John

Should I take out a Lexus Extended Warranty?

I've been advised to replace a weeping water pump on my Lexus RX 450h at under 60,000 miles and less than six years old (an eye watering bill of £1800...

Tags: hybrid maintenance and servicing extended warranty reliability water pump owning airbags consumer advice maintenance costs
Lexus RX 450h 2009 - 2015

Why are the fuel injectors corroding on my Peugeot horsebox?

I have a problem with my Peugeot Boxer horse box. It is four years old and has only done 6500 miles. To date, I have had to replace two fuel injectors...

Tags: vans injectors water leaks horseboxes reliability
Peugeot Boxer 2006 on

Is the Toyota Yaris as reliable as the Volkswagen Polo?

I don't do much mileage and want a car to last a long time. I've seen a 2015 Volkswagen Polo with less than 3000 miles on clock. I'm wondering if a Toyota...

Tags: part exchange low mileage buying and selling buying second hand car reliability consumer advice
Volkswagen Toyota Polo 2009 on Yaris 2011 on

Will a hybrid car still give good mpg on long journeys and country roads?

I currently drive a 2011 Fiat Bravo Multijet diesel - I bought it for the MPG and it hasn't disappointed in that regard, although it's irritatingly unreliable...

Tags: rural driving hybrid petrol or diesel? maintenance buying and selling hybrid or diesel? mpg motorway driving diesel cars reliability consumer advice buying a hybrid diesel city ban long distance petrol or hybrid? diesel backlash diesel restrictions
FIAT Toyota Bravo 2007 - 2014 Prius 2003 - 2009 Auris 2013 on Prius 2016 on

What's the best, fun two-seater convertible or coupe?

I have up to £7000 for a fun two-seater - ideally a convertible but a coupe would be fine. It will be used for a daily seven mile commute and at weekends....

Tags: convertibles buying a new car performance cars buying and selling reliability coupes fun to drive consumer advice buying a convertible handling
BMW Nissan Toyota Porsche Mazda Z4 2009 - 2016 350Z Roadster 2005 - 2009 MR2 2000 - 2006 Boxster 2012 - 2016 MX-5 2015 on

Is the Chevrolet Aveo a reliable automatic?

I've been look at the specs of small automatics and have seen the 2012 Chevrolet Aveo 1.4 auto. I don't hear you mention these very often. It's a six-gear...

Tags: buying a new car small automatics buying and selling reliability consumer advice
Chevrolet Suzuki Aveo 2011 - 2015 Swift 2017 on

What is the best value, medium-sized hatchback with good leg room for £4000?

I've got £4000 to spend and would like a manual hatchback, petrol around 1.6. I'm doing about 200 miles, on mainly motorways, per week and I'm tall so...

Tags: legroom bluetooth tall drivers buying a new car buying and selling hatchbacks safety reliability technology consumer advice
Honda Hyundai KIA Civic 2006 - 2011 Civic 2012 - 2017 i30 2012 - 2017 Cee'd 2012 on

What do you think of the Powershift auto gearbox in the Ford Kuga?

I'm thinking of buying a new Ford Kuga with the Powershift auto box, but have heard various adverse reports about reliability and performance of these...

Tags: known defect buying a new car maintenance and servicing reliability consumer advice automatic cars
Ford B-MAX 2012 on Kuga 2013 on Fiesta 2013 on Focus 2014 on

Are American cars built to a better quality than European cars?

I read a few years ago that American cars have less mechanical problems as the Americans spend the majority of the development money on the engine/drivetrain...

Tags: mechanical build quality reliability service plan american cars

Buying a small, first car - what would you recommend?

My daughter is doing her driving test and the cars she is looking at are the Fiat 500, Ford Ka, Toyota Aygo and Renault Clio? Are any of these good? I...

Tags: insurance buying a new car buying and selling reliability young drivers first cars long warranty new drivers consumer advice
FIAT Ford Renault Toyota 500 2008 on Ka 2008 - 2016 Clio 2013 on Aygo 2014 on