Engine Reliability Explorer
Check Any Car Engine’s Reliability

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Before you buy a used car, check the engine first.

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How the reliability score works

Every engine starts at 100. Each known issue subtracts points based on its severity, how often it shows up, what it costs to fix and how early it tends to appear in the car's life. What is left is the score, from 0 to 100.

BEST 85 and up. BUY 70 to 84. CAUTION 50 to 69. AVOID below 50.
No manufacturer advertising or sponsorship influences a score.
The issue list, costs and mileages are editorial estimates compiled from common owner and workshop reports, in US dollars and miles. They are a guide to what to inspect, not a diagnosis of a specific car.

Estimates only. A well-kept example of a poorly rated engine can beat a neglected example of a great one, so always get a pre-purchase inspection and the service history.

The Engine Reliability Explorer is a tool on Autosgrind that shows how reliable a car engine is before you buy the car. Pick a make, model and year, and it shows you the engine’s track record, known weak points and how it compares with other engines.

How it works

You only need three steps.

Choose the make, model and year of the car you are considering.
Check the engine’s reliability picture, including common failures and complaint and recall patterns.
Compare other years or engine options for the same model.

It takes less than a minute, and you can run as many cars as you like.

Why you need it

Two cars with the same badge can have very different engines. A model can run a trouble-free engine in one year and a problem one after a redesign. Which engine is under the hood often matters more than the name on the boot.

Engine repairs are also the repairs that hurt. A major engine failure can cost more than a used car is worth, so it is the one thing you want to check first.

What you can check

What you check	Why it matters
Common failures	Tells you which parts tend to fail, not just “reliability issues”
Complaints and recalls	Shows whether a problem is a one-off or a pattern
Year-to-year changes	Helps you avoid the weak years and target the fixed ones
Mileage outlook	Shows how the engine tends to age past 100,000 miles

How to use it before you buy

Start with your shortlist, not a single car. Run each one and see which engines keep a clean record. If two cars are close on price, the better engine record is usually the tiebreaker.

People often ask how many miles an engine will last. The honest answer is that it depends on both the design and how the car was maintained. The explorer shows you the design side. The service history shows you the rest.

A high-mileage car with a strong engine can be a better buy than a low-mileage car with a known weak one. That is a fair trade, but only if the records back it up.