The most fragile car in Germany turned out to be... (3 photos)
Yes, Tesla, and for several years now, according to TÜV. And the Germans recognized Mercedes-Benz as the most reliable among older cars. 
The Technical Inspection Service for Motor Vehicles (TÜV) has summarized the results of inspections of approximately 9.5 million vehicles registered in Germany, conducted from July 2024 to June 2025. The results were generally unsurprising, although some details are intriguing.
Tesla products took the bottom two spots in the ranking of electric vehicles aged 2 to 3 years. The Model 3, which had been the worst performer for the previous two years, had 13.1% defects found per 100 vehicles. The Model Y SUV showed an even more dismal result: 17.3%.
As it turns out, the most common failures in American electric cars are not the powertrain components, but purely mechanical components—the suspension, brakes, and headlights, according to Carscoops.
For comparison's sake, the most trouble-free car in this category, the Mini Cooper SE, had a failure rate of only 3.5%. Equally reliable were the Audi Q4 e-tron (4%) and, surprisingly, the tiny Fiat 500e (4.2%).
In other categories, the BMW 5- and 6-Series (4-5 and 8-9 years old), the Dacia Duster (6-7 and 10-11 years old), and the Renault Clio among 12-13-year-old cars were the most likely to break down during long-term use. Conversely, Volkswagen models showed the best reliability results: the Golf Variant and T-Roc in the 4- to 7-year-old age groups, and the Touareg among the oldest vehicles. The Mazda 2 and BMW 1 Series led the way among small and compact cars 2-3 years old, while the Mercedes-Benz C-Class topped the midsize car rankings. 
An innovation of the TÜV rating was the establishment of a special award for long-term quality, which is awarded to brands whose vehicles 10+ years old demonstrate the lowest rate of safety-related defects and are a symbol of quality, durability, and excellent service.
In this, dare we say it, most prestigious category, Mercedes-Benz took gold with a malfunction rate of 18.5%, Audi took silver with 19.2%, and Toyota took bronze with 22%. 
