We’ve all heard that old adage “you get what you pay for”, but is this the case with cars? You might be surprised to learn that the most reliable new car in the UK is half the price of the least reliable one.

Consumer watchdogs, including Which conducted their annual study on the reliability of 47,000 vehicles, and they were taken by surprise when the petroleum fuelled Skoda Yeti 4×4 took pole position.

In comparison, the Range Rover Sport didn’t fare too well. Land Rover’s Range Rover brand has become synonymous with quality and has been adopted as something of a status symbol among the middle classes. Despite its £50,000 price tag, consumer experts revealed that the Range Rover Sport 4×4 was shown to be the least reliable car in their study.

With a top price of £24,000, who would have thought the humble Skoda Yeti could outshine Range Rover’s Sport?

The annual study brought to light some interesting findings. None of the Yeti owners had suffered a break down in the last 12 months and the repairs, if any, were only minor. This brought the Yeti’s total reliability score to 97.9%, outrunning all family saloons and compact cars. Watchdogs have long been aware of Land Rover’s history of unreliable models. Although the Sport is popular with the affluent, expensive repairs such as electronic braking failure and problems with the engine cooling unit seem to be all too common with these vehicles.

Compared to the Yeti, the Sport’s total reliability score came limping in at a rather measly 63.4%, and 13% of Range Rover Sport owners reported having broken down during the last 12 months.

The fact that a 4×4 came out on top in the reliability stakes was a surprise to the consumer action group Which. Four wheel drives had turned out to be some of the least reliable cars in studies from previous years.

The diesel version of the petrol powered Yeti didn’t fare as well as its petrol powered counterpart. With a total reliability score of 93%, however, it still managed to outrun Land Rover’s models.