Renown Canadian Consumer Watchdog Rates Best And Worst Engines

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• The Automobile Protection Association has accumulated reliability data for decades.

• The results are also supported by repair shops and a warranty company.

• Good engines when new do not always make reliable mills.

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The Automobile Protection Association (APA) and Protégez-Vous are two established respected groups that have worked tirelessly to help consumers make enlightened decisions for decades. This latest report outlines the best and worst engines currently available on modern vehicles.

This information is especially useful for existing owners and is invaluable to shoppers looking for a good pre-owned vehicle. It’s important to note that these ratings are limited to the engines and do not necessarily reflect the vehicle’s overall reliability.

The below list is partial. The complete list can be found on Protégez-Vous’ website (content is in French)

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The most reliable engines:

HONDA/ACURA

1.5 L, Fit (all years).

2.4 L, Accord 2002-2012, CR-V 2002-2014, Element 2003-2011, Acura ILX 2012-2015 and TSX 2004-2014 (with the exception of the 2010-2011 model years).

HYUNDAI AND KIA

1.5 L and 1.6 L, Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio (all years).

MAZDA

1.8 L, MX-5 Miata up to 2005.

2.0 L, Mazda 3 (2008.5-2011) and Mazda 3 GX (2012-2020), CX-3 and MX-5.

TOYOTA

1.5 L, Echo, and Yaris.

1.8 L, Corolla, and Matrix (excluding 2009 and 2010, and Matrix XRS).

Hybrid 1,5 L and 1,8 L, Prius.

2.7 L, 4-cyl., Tacoma (2000-2018), Venza (2009-2016), and Highlander (2009-2013).

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The least reliable engines:

BMW

2 L Turbo (N20 and N26), X1, X3, 3 Series (2011-2016)

3.0 L, I6, (N55) X3, X5, as well as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 Series (2009-2014)

FORD/LINCOLN

EcoBoost 3.5 L V6 turbo, Ford F-150, Flex, Taurus, Explorer, and Lincoln MKS and MKT (2010-2013)

5.4 L V8 (2005-2010).

1.6 L turbo, Ford Escape (2013-2014).

GENERAL MOTORS

3.6 L V6, Buick Allure, Chevrolet Impala 2009-2010, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook 2007-2013, Cadillac CTS 2004-2010, Suzuki XL7, up to 2013.

1.4 L turbo, Buick Encore, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Sonic, Chevrolet Trax (2011-2017).

JEEP

3.0L diesel V6, Grand Cherokee (2014-2017) – Also applies to Ram 1500 with the same engine

HYUNDAI AND KIA (issues with these brands accounted for nearly ¾ of all complaints received in 2020)

1.8 L and 2.0 L, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, Rondo and Soul (2010-2015).

2.4 L and 2.0 L turbo, Santa Fe and Sport, Sonata, Tucson, Kia Forte, Forte Koup, Optima, Sorento, Soul and Sportage (2011-2019).

MAZDA

2.3 L turbo, CX-7 and MazdaSpeed3 (2007-2010).

MERCEDES-BENZ

2.0 L turbo,  C300 2015-2016.

V6 code M-272 (2004-2008).

V8 code M-273 (2004-2008).

3.5 L V6, C-Classe, GLK and ML (2011-2015).

MINI

1.6 L turbo, Cooper S (2008-2014).

SCION (TOYOTA)

2.0 L, FR-S and Subaru BRZ (2013).

SUBARU

2.0 L, Impreza and Crosstrek (2012-2015).

2,5 L turbo, Forester, Legacy, Outback, WRX and STI (2008-2014).

2,5 L, Legacy and Outback (2013-2014), and Forester (2011-2015).

VOLKSWAGEN/AUDI

2.0 L turbo, Audi A3, A4, Q5, Volkswagen EOS, Beetle, Golf GTI, Jetta GLI, Passat, CC, Tiguan (2009-2016)