Used cars with expensive repairs to watch out for

Which used cars have known faults that are expensive to fix?

These seven faults are recorded by makers, DVSA or Parkers on cars common in the UK. Where a source prices the repair, it runs to hundreds or thousands of pounds. They're listed by maker in alphabetical order, not ranked, and a cost appears only where a source gives one, with its date.

Checked against Parkers' used-car guides, Peugeot's UK site and GOV.UK's recall service on 27 October 2026. Not every car with these engines or gearboxes will fail; these are the faults the sources record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Wet timing belts: PureTech and 1.0 EcoBoost

Peugeot's UK site says some earlier PureTech 1.0 and 1.2 engines have an oil pressure problem caused by the timing belt wearing early, and some burn too much oil. Since March 2024 it covers all parts and labour for up to 10 years or 112,000 miles, under conditions, and owners who paid for these repairs between January 2022 and March 2024 can apply for support.

Parkers reports that Ford fitted a wet belt to the 1.0 EcoBoost from 2012 and moved to a timing chain late in 2018, and that the Mk8 Fiesta (2017–2023) should have a chain. A worn belt can shed enough rubber to starve the engine of oil, and an engine that seizes can cost more to rebuild than the car is worth. Ford treats the belt as scheduled maintenance rather than a warranty defect, Parkers reports, and Parkers says a wet-belt EcoBoost needn't be avoided if its service history can be traced.

BMW E90 320d EfficientDynamics

Parkers says the 177hp 320d EfficientDynamics, launched in 2007, was built with poor-quality timing sprockets. A total failure can cost up to £5,000, and if the chain snaps the engine is destroyed, so listen for a distant whine from the front of the engine.

Dual-clutch gearboxes: Golf GTI DSG and Kuga PowerShift

On the Mk6 Golf GTI, Parkers says the optional six-speed DSG can judder, change jerkily and lose reverse, and wear is inevitable at higher miles. On the Mk2 Kuga, it calls the PowerShift automatic not very robust, with many problems down to oil that wasn't changed. For the Kuga, Parkers suggests testing it on hills, in reverse and under hard acceleration: shudder or hesitation once it's moving is a warning sign.

Ford cylinder head recall, 2010 to 2014 builds

In January 2018 Ford recalled Focus, C-Max, Fiesta ST and Kuga cars built between June 2010 and December 2014, because cylinder heads may crack from localised overheating (recall R/2018/008, listed by DVSA at 15,228 vehicles). The remedy inspects the engine and cooling system, replaces affected parts and fits a coolant level sensor that warns the driver, at no cost to the owner. Parkers says the 1.6-litre Kuga Mk2 was among the cars recalled.

Range Rover Evoque 2.0 Ingenium diesel

Parkers says the 2.0 Ingenium diesel in the first Evoque was prone to DPF problems early on, which Land Rover has largely cured, and to oil dilution and, in some cases, early timing chain failure. Parkers advises against buying one that rattles when started from cold.

How much can repairs cost on the lowest-scoring used cars?

Warrantywise's 2026 Reliability Index doesn't rank cars by repair cost, but its ten lowest scorers, all premium models, averaged just over £2,000 a repair request, and their costliest single repairs ran from £7,464 to £44,401. The index scores cars from Warrantywise's own warranty repair requests between January 2023 and January 2026, on cars three to 15 years old with at least 250 per model on its plans, by how often repairs were requested, the car's age and mileage, and labour time.

Ranks and scores from Warrantywise's index page (updated 8 October 2026); costliest repairs as Parkers reported them in September 2026, except the 7 Series, from Warrantywise's own page. A lower score means a higher repair risk, and this table isn't in order of cost. Warrantywise says the average repair request across these ten was just over £2,000. Its own pages give £2,050.24 for the Discovery, where electrical systems are the most common repair, and £2,022.30 for the Discovery Sport, where emissions faults come up most. It calls the £44,401 repair and the BMW X5's £30,675 repair extremely uncommon.

The index doesn't split its figures by generation or engine, so it describes the model, not the car in front of you. A well-kept example with a full service history is a different risk from one without. Warrantywise puts low scores down to complex engineering more than to how the cars were built, and says repairs aren't inevitable.

Which costly jobs should you budget for on many used cars?

A blocked diesel particulate filter on a diesel, and a timing belt that's due on a car with a belt, are two to price in.

• •Diesel particulate filter (DPF): short journeys at low speed are the main cause of blockages, the RAC says. A forced regeneration costs around £100 to £250, and a replacement filter around £800 to more than £4,000, depending on the car (RAC, September 2026). A DPF warning light that stays on needs a garage.
• •Timing belt: the RAC puts the average cost of a cambelt change, wet belts included, at around £427, from WhoCanFixMyCar's data for August 2026. If the service booklet says it's due and there's no record it was done, budget for it.

How do I check a used car for costly faults before buying?

Confirm the engine and gearbox, then check the paperwork and the car itself.

1. 1

   Confirm the engine and gearbox

   CarCanny's free check shows the car's DVLA details, engine size included, to match against its logbook. Engine size won't show which engine it is, or whether it has a belt or a chain, so ask a dealer to check the VIN.

2. 2

   Read the service history

   Look for services on time with the oil the handbook specifies, and belt and gearbox oil changes at their intervals.

3. 3

   Read the MOT history

   Repeated advisories, such as an oil leak or an emissions fault, point to work the next owner will pay for.

4. 4

   Check recalls and the maker's cover

   Run the car through GOV.UK's recall check, and ask a dealer whether any recall work was done or the car qualifies for extended cover.

5. 5

   Start it from cold and drive it

   Listen for rattles or whines as it starts, and feel for judder or jerky gear changes on the test drive.

6. 6

   Price in the repair, or walk away

   If a costly job is due or a fault shows, take it off your offer, or look at the next car.

CarCanny's full report shows every MOT test with its failures, advisories and mileage, and checks whether the mileage ever went down between MOT tests, so you can match the service stamps to the miles. It also checks finance, write-off, stolen and whether the DVSA records an outstanding safety recall. It doesn't show service records or a mechanic's inspection, so it can't tell you whether a belt or gearbox is worn.

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Written by

Hubert Rachwalski

Founder and car enthusiast at CarCanny

Hubert is the founder of CarCanny and a car enthusiast. He built CarCanny as the check he wanted as a buyer: simple, clear and honest about what it does and doesn't know.