What are the best used cars with low repair and maintenance costs?

Toyota's reliability record is pretty unmatched and so too is its customer satisfaction scores. The Toyota Yaris is one of the brand’s most definitive cars, and while it may not be the most sparkling little car to drive, it is dependable and durable. Models fitted with Toyota's famous hybrid system are more complex than the simpler petrol versions, which would lead you to expect that they're more likely to go wrong, but that's not the case. Newer cars even come with a service-activated 10-year warranty. Prices start at around £1,000 for the earliest models, but we'd suggest looking at around £5,000. For this you'll be getting a third-generation car with the firm's efficient 1.0-litre petrol engine with around 60,000 miles on the clock.

The Jazz has a reputation that’s as strong as the Toyota Yaris’s. It’s a benchmark car when it comes to dependable transport, and it’s a position that the car has had since it first launched some 25 years ago. Industry surveys and owners' forums underline the Jazz's reputation as a dependable car, and even if something does go wrong then Honda's dealer network is well-known for its consistently high levels of customer care. Getting parts fixed at independent garages won't break the bank either, as Jazz components are relatively inexpensive. You can hop into a Jazz for as little as £1,000, but this will be for the first-generation car. Around £5,500 will get you a low-mileage second-generation car with an efficient 1.4-litre petrol engine – and there's even a hybrid model available at this price. The current generation car is very affordable, with prices kicking off at around £11,000 for a low mileage example.

For families looking for a reliable car that can handle daily abuse, plus be relatively inexpensive to fix should something go wrong, the Mazda CX-5 is a good option. Here, we're focusing on the second-generation model, which went on sale in 2017, and remains in production. Leading industry surveys reveal the CX-5 has a near faultless reliability record, with a low rate of component failure. Mazda's mid-size SUV seems to be especially resilient to tiresome problems and niggling issues that many family SUVs suffer from. All engines seem to be especially strong, and repair costs are on par with the family SUV norm. Plus, Mazda has one of the better dealer networks in the UK, so there's some peace of mind should things go wrong. On AA Cars, prices start from well under £10,000 for the oldest models with high mileage, but for a bit extra, cars with lower mileages are easily within reach.

It’s another Honda, but that’s hardly surprising as the Japanese manufacturer has an enviable reputation in the automotive industry for building cars that last. The ninth-generation car is particularly good when it comes to low maintenance and running costs, primarily because it has such an excellent reliability record. Even though the oldest examples are now nearly 15 years old, reliability surveys still place the Civic high up in their rankings. Engines in this generation of Civic used timing chains instead of belts, which are harder-wearing and less prone to fatigue and failure. In fact the whole car is well engineered, with a low failure rate for key components. Honda also has one of the better dealer networks in the UK, so there’s always help at hand. Around £5,500 will get you into a Civic of this generation with high miles on the clock. While high mileage shouldn't be something to necessarily worry about, some buyers prefer a more lightly used car; budget in the region of £8,000 for a Civic with around 60,000 miles on the clock.

The Ford Fiesta was routinely a best-seller in the UK before it was discontinued in 2023, topping sales charts month after month. While the Fiesta has a perfectly adequate reliability record, it does fall short of other superminis, such as the Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz in this list. But the Fiesta's strength is due to that popularity when it was new – there are hundreds available on the used car market, and it's a relatively inexpensive car to fix, undercutting a number of similarly sized cars. A large Ford dealer network also means parts availability – whether through the dealerships themselves or in the wider market – is strong. Ford's fabled little 1.0-litre, three-cylinder EcoBoost engines have a reputation for being unreliable. This is a little unwarranted – due to the huge numbers of Fiestas fitted with this engine on the roads, it naturally has a higher failure rating compared to other less popular superminis. That said, if you do your research and buy a Fiesta that has been looked after and serviced regularly, it'll likely be as reliable as any other small car. Prices start from £5,000 for the most recent model.