Your Questions Answered: Are new cars really more reliable? 

If anyone is really serious about safety riding these modes of transportation, high-vis garments, reflective straps and so on should be compulsory. As someone who spent a third of my working life on the road after dark, any kind of extra visibility could be life-saving. It both decreases the source of serious accidents, and stress to the driver.?My recommendation would be that anyone on any kind of two-wheeler could maybe have it as a compulsory purchase with the bike, alongside the helmet - Marie 

Answer: Hi Marie, as you are probably aware, this (wearing hi-vis garments) is going to be a requirement for new motorcycle learner riders in NSW, as explained here.

As for e-bikes, scooters and bicycles, mandating the use of hi-vis is a contentious subject without an easy answer (although for NSW delivery riders, it is mandatory under SafeWork NSW requirements).

If you want more people to make use of such transport in urban areas, such as shared e-bikes, then imposing such requirements might reduce take up.

It might be perceived as an added cost and imposition to also have to wear hi-vis clothing, where reflectors and front and rear lights (at night) are already required for visibility, as is a helmet.

With drivers seemingly more distracted than ever, a lick more of fluro when on two wheels for better visibility might not hurt.

Answer: Hi Cyn, the new rules around roadworks (where temporary reduced speed limits must now be removed outside construction hours whenever it is safe to do so) only came into effect on July 1 for NSW; this rule already exists in Victoria (since 2010) and South Australia (since 2018). You can report a Victoria signage issue here, while in SA you can call the Traffic Management Centre 24/7 hotline on 1800 018 313 to report incorrect works signage.

The ACT government is also reportedly considering such a move. It’s a welcome, common sense move to provide clarity on speed limits in work zones and, ultimately, can only improve road safety.

I am researching a new replacement for my Toyota Echo. I want to treat myself to something a bit bigger, a bit more swish, and probably an EV or hybrid. But I want it to last and be as reliable as the Echo. I often read the recall notice stories on carsales and while some recalls are for ridiculously minor things, there are also some for pretty serious issues. “The car may catch fire” – Geez. Are new cars getting more unreliable, should I just buy a Toyota a bit newer than the Echo? - Pat 

Answer: Hey Pat, short answer: keep the Echo. Seriously though, vehicle safety and technology have made big strides since the Echo was developed, and as a vehicle gets older, it doesn’t need less maintenance. Unless you’re an enthusiast, newer is better.

As for new vehicle reliability, it is hard to pin down. There’s no publicly available data that gives a 100 per cent answer to what is reliable or not. Nobody can say whether newer brands to market are reliable until the dust has settled on least three to five years of volume sales.

That’s not to say there’s no good info out there. Data is publicly available from Canstar, JD Power (US market) and, as you mentioned, the Australian Government’s recall website. 

Except for JD Power, there is no specific reliability index; Canstar uses a customer satisfaction model, which is really just a customer survey, but does include those who bought new in the last five years. The recall notices are safety-related problems, which don’t include reliability as such. 

Even the JD Power results, which breakdown to ‘Problems per 100 Vehicles’, don’t give a clear picture of reliability directly applicable to Australia. PP100 scores are given equal weight, so an engine failure has the same points weighting as a relatively minor tech glitch.

US models might have the same name as those sold here, but have different powertrains, or are built in entirely different factories in different countries. There are also a bunch of newer brands (such as the Chinese) we have that are not sold in the US at all.

If you’re looking at the brands sitting at the bottom of both Canstar and JD Power ratings that are also brands with most Australian vehicle recalls, here’s a tip: maybe don’t buy from one of them. 

Owner experiences on social media/forums and product review pages can be helpful, but are not always accurate. The poster’s expectations of their car they’re complaining about loudly might be a tad unrealistic, especially if they’re a bot. 

As for those who spray glitter all over social media about their car, it might say more about them than their car’s reliability.

After all, who likes saying ‘I made a bad choice’, after posting a picture of themselves in a showroom standing next to their new bow-wrapped bundle of joy? You could go down a very deep rabbit hole on socials before finding anything meaningful.

If we lived in an ideal world, every vehicle manufacturer would make their dealers’ warranty reports public, giving details of what problems their products have, how quickly the problem was resolved and therefore give potential buyers a more accurate picture of how reliable they are.

Wouldn’t that be nice? 

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