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If you want a reliable car, a long-standing reputation would point you in the direction of a vehicle made by a Japanese manufacturer. This is for generally good reason, as there are many great cars from the country that will last you thousands of miles without going wrong. However, what if you’re in the mood for something with a bit of European flair, what then? Cars from Italy and France aren’t as unreliable as they were 20 years ago, and cars from Germany aren’t necessarily going to be tight as a drum.
Then, you throw in the desire for a bit of poke under the hood and the matter gets even more complex. It’s easy to assume what European cars give you a great driving sensation whilst keeping your repair bills down, but there are always some cars that you would never even consider as having a great reputation for reliability.
To help you out, we’ve put together this list of the 10 best European cars that combine performance with reliability.
10 2023 BMW Z4
Currently, the Z4 shares its platform with the new Toyota Supra, which is a fine sports car in itself. Contrary to what many assumed when BMW and Toyota put pen to paper on that deal, both Z4 and Supra are built in BMW’s plant in Austria (actually in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s hometown).
However, the Z4 has some advantages over the Supra, for starters the ability to go everywhere with the traditional cloth roof down. Given the styling was inspired by the now-appreciated Z8, it is one of the few models in the current BMW range that can be called good-looking. Also, with a turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six engine, it’s hardly going to be lacking in power.
Reliability is a strong point too, with the current G29 Z4 earning a JD Power score of 78/100. Getting yourself a premium sports car with a soft top for just over $50,000 that is unlikely to go wrong, whilst looking good seems like a pretty great deal to us.
9 2020 Fiat 124 Spider
Another joint-partnership project, the 124 Spider was built in partnership between Mazda and Fiat, so it’s essentially an MX-5 Miata in a swooping European body. There were some other differences, with the Fiat receiving a slightly more well-appointed interior and a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine. It was smaller too, and (unless you opted for the Abarth version pictured) had a more forgiving ride, which made it a roadster that was easier to live with.
2020 was the last model year, and this was the last model year when only the Abarth was offered. It’s a great car, don’t get us wrong, but if you’re in the mood for something more gentle on your bones, the first year of production in 2017 is also great. Said year has a JD Power score of 78, so you’ll be sure it’s unlikely to go wrong in a hurry, and when friends mock Fiat’s perceived unreliability you can shrug it off. It’s also a bit of a bargain, with 124 Spiders available on the second-hand market for under $25,000.
8 1991 Porsche 944
Porsche has always specialized in premium sports cars you can use every day, rather than some of their rivals’ cars that would fall to pieces if they brushed some wet leaves. The 944 fast became the de facto Porsche to have in the '80s if you didn’t want the fearsome 911 Turbo of the day, which had a deserved reputation for being too hot to handle.
944s are well-renowned for their ability to keep going despite being a good 40 years old now, and they’re a perfect used sports car for gearheads given their value is now below $15,000 for a half-decent one. They cost little, deliver a lot and keep going through the years, making them very usable classics.
7 2023 Alpine A110
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You can’t get an Alpine in the US, which is a real shame: at 2444 lbs it’s an extremely light sports car, reflected in the fact that the turbocharged 1.8-liter engine produced 249 hp and feels a lot more than that based on the power-to-weight ratio.
They’re nicely made sports cars, despite parent company Renault not having the best reputation for build quality in the past. There have been no horror stories about the Alpine being unreliable or going wrong in the six years it has been for sale, other than when a press car caught fire during filming for an episode of Top Gear. So, there’s a very slight chance your Alpine will be burnt to a crisp, but this would appear to be an isolated incident, and you’ll likely be having so much fun hurtling along it would extinguish any flames.
6 2010 Lotus Elise
The Series 2 Elise was initially produced with funding from General Motors, but the Elise is very much a Lotus through and through. This means you get an incredibly light sports car, powered by a 1.8-liter Toyota engine, and the most wonderful suspension to have you cornering like a fighter pilot.
Now, back in the past having a Lotus meant that you’d forever be sat at the side of the road waiting for a tow truck as steam poured from your pride and joy, but this isn’t the case with the Elise. An improved level of build quality, especially as 2010 was the last model year of the Series 2, combined with that Toyota engine that never fails means you’re getting a fantastically reliable lightweight sports car.
Sadly you can't get any Elise brand new anymore but hunt around the used car market, because they are such wonderful cars you won't regret taking a chance on one.
5 2023 Audi TT
Audi’s TT has been around for 25 years now and has gone from a deathtrap fashion accessory to one of the best premium sports cars in that long and chequered lifetime. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the current TT is brand new, because, underneath several facelifts and tweaks, you’re basically driving around in a car from 2014.
This is no bad thing though, as a TT of any generation is a pretty sweet driving experience. A base TT can get you from 0-60 in six seconds, and the top-of-the-range car halves that time. As for reliability, Audis are generally pretty solid and the TT is no different: 2017 is the last year that JD Power tested a TT, and they scored it 85.
4 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman
If you wanted an entry-level Porsche in years gone by, you were generally stuck with a fairly basic car with few accessories and a badge on the back informing everyone you couldn’t afford a 911. This is not the case with the Cayman, as the list of options, paint schemes, and interiors are truly mind-boggling.
This increase in stuff doesn’t mean that there’s more to go wrong, far from it: a 2022 Cayman has a JD Power score of 85, and given it is over $40,000 less than a base 911 you really are getting a good deal. If you're a driving enthusiast with a bit of cash to spend on a sports car, you should really consider a Cayman.
3 2023 Audi S8
The S8 has been one of the most notorious sleeper cars to have existed in the history of fast European sedans. With a twin-turbo V8 under the hood, it’s also extremely reliable and is one of the most exciting cars in the Audi range with plenty of cool features.
It’s not a cheap car: you’ll be paying $120,500 for the privilege of owning an S8, but with such an immense amount of power at your disposal whilst you’re coddled in luxury, and you’ll also have the peace of mind that nothing is likely to go wrong anytime soon such is the Audi build quality. You’ll likely be paying a little more than average for fuel and maintenance, but you expect that from a car of this ilk.
2 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS
Second-hand cars can often be difficult to get right, especially if you’re buying the kind of car that the previous owner might have gone screeching around corners in. Despite this, the first generation of Mercedes’ CLS is a great choice for a fast, reliable sleeper, and the generations since have also been really brilliant.
The first generation CLS was one of the cars that helped turn around Mercedes’ falling reliability reputation in the early 2000s, so you’re sure to be getting a reliable car to go along with a luxury feel and a really throaty engine under the hood. Don’t just take our word for it: the first generation CLS has a JD Power score of 81.
1 2023 Jaguar F-Type
Jaguar’s F-Type is nearly a decade old now, but in that time has cemented itself as quite an underrated premium sports car. With both a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 and a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 available, as well as the option of a convertible or hardtop, the F-Type really is all you could ever want in a premium sports car and it's a shame more gearheads aren't considering them.
It’s surprisingly reliable, too. One known issue for the F-Type is related to the bodywork, but according to owners, these faults are put right fairly quickly and at no cost. JD Power agrees, giving the F-Type a score of 81.