Report: Cars most likely to need an engine rebuild

New research on long-term vehicle durability has been compiled into a list of cars ‘most likely to need an engine rebuild’.

The information comes from respected US website Consumer Reports, which says it analysed data on older models to see which have the highest problem rates for major systems that often require expensive repairs.

According to the organisation, three key elements stood out as frequent problems on certain aged and high-mileage models – engine, head gasket and transmission – with more than a dozen older models found to have problems serious enough to require engine rebuilds.

Consumer Reports compiled a list of the top 10 models that stood out as having the most severe problems, to help warn current owners and used-car shoppers.

And the (unfortunate) winner? The Audi A4 — in particular, models built between 2009-2010, powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and with an odometer reading around 172,000-246,000km.

One Audi A4 owner told the researcher he spent more than $12,000 fixing his car: “Something breaks, we fix it. Something else breaks, we have to fix it. We are retirement age and cannot buy a new car,” he said.

See below for the full list. Models sold in Australia are marked with an asterisk.