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<\/p>\n\n Germany\u2019s T\u00dcV reliability report reveals rising defect rates, new class leaders, and which cars struggled to pass inspection this year <\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/author\/chris-chilton-cc\/
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by Chris Chilton<\/a><\/p>\n 8 minutes ago<\/p>\n Germany\u2019s car-check watchdog has crunched the reliability numbers and once again, Tesla<\/a> finds itself parked at the very bottom of the heap. The 2026 T\u00dcV-Report, covering annual roadworthiness inspections of approximately 9.5 million vehicles between July 2024 and June 2025, found that Tesla EVs occupied the two bottom spots in the league table.<\/p>\n The Model 3, which was the worst-ranked car<\/a> for the two previous years was found to have a defect rate of 13.1 percent, meaning one in every 7.6 cars in the two-to-three-year-old ages group failed the Hauptuntersuchung safety check. <\/p>\n Why Is The Model Y So Troubled?<\/strong><\/p>\n But the Model Y was even worse. It had a defect rate of 17.3 percent, versus 3.5 percent for a Mini Cooper SE, making it the worst T\u00dcV has seen in this age group in a decade. The biggest defect culprits were the axle assembly, suspension, brakes and lighting.<\/p>\n Related: Tesla Is Now The World\u2019s Most Avoided EV Brand And It\u2019s Probably Musk\u2019s Fault<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Pulling back to look at the bigger picture covering cars of all ages reveals that 21.5 percent, or one in five cars failed the inspection due to a \u201csignificant\u201d or \u201cdangerous\u201d defect, an increase of 0.9 percent on last year, ADAC reported. And the proportion with minor defects rose 0.8 percent to 12.3 percent.<\/p>\n Other reliability villains include the BMW<\/a> 5-series and 6-series in both the 4-5-year-old and 8-9-year-old age groups, the Dacia Duster in the 6-7 and 10-11 age groups and the Renault Clio among 12-13-year-old cars.<\/p>\n Electric Cars Defect Rate, 2-3 Years Old<\/p>\n
Pop the Champagne for VW<\/strong><\/p>\n But with every list of losers there has to be a list of winners, and for cars that have passed their fourth birthday, this one is headed by Volkswagen. <\/p>\n The VW Golf<\/a> wagon and T-Roc scored well in the 4-7-year-old categories and the automaker\u2019s Touareg was top of the oldies. The Mazda CX-3 and Mercedes B-Class were also commended.<\/p>\n Looking at the 2-3-year-old group, Fiat\u2019s 500e toped the small car category, proving to Tesla that EVs can be reliable, the Mazda 2 and BMW<\/a> 1-series were the top-rated small car and compact, and the C-class took the mid-range award (if you\u2019re reading from the US, those classifications will look kinda messed up).<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/hbwtrgf-nbr-gfvb-1024x576.jpg\")
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