Engine Analytics
Explore 454 engines across reliability, cost, and displacement
What the data reveals
Patterns across 454 engines, 4813 models, and 675 documented failure points.
Smaller engines outlast bigger ones
Engines under 1.5L average 71.2/100 vs 2.5L+ engines at 68.4/100. The relationship is consistent: each additional litre of displacement correlates with lower reliability. Fewer moving parts, lower thermal stress, simpler oil circuits.
Japanese engineering leads European
Toyota, Mazda, Honda, and Suzuki average 80.1/100. European brands average 67.8/100 — a 12-point gap that's consistent across every size and fuel type. The gap widens for turbocharged engines.
The worst era in engine history: 2008–2015
The turbo-downsizing era — when manufacturers replaced 2.0L naturals with 1.4T and 1.6T units to chase emissions targets — produced the least reliable engines ever built. Average score: 55/100. Pre-2000 classics averaged 82/100. The modern recovery era (post-2018) is climbing back to 75/100.