The second-generation Ford Kuga is a sweet-handling family car that is refined and comfortable - but is this athletic SUV a good used buy?

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Is the Ford Kuga reliable?

The Kuga's reliablity record is a bit of a mixed bag so we'd urge you to find an example with a good service history and a low number of previous owners. We'd aviod the Powershift gearbox as its not the most reliable (see below) and stick with the manual which is nicer to use and more refined. 

In the What Car? reliabilty survery the petrol Kuga achieved a score of 93% while the diesel only scored 85%. 

Engine: Take a diesel Kuga on a long test drive to make sure the DPF is regenerating properly. If the oil level is high, the DPF could be regenerating too often, which can lead to fuel dilution.

Coolant found anywhere other than in the expansion tank could mean that the tank itself is faulty. But a new one is only £15-£30.

Check the oil filter for any white deposits because this could suggest that the coolant and oil are mixing; cooling problems with the Ecoboost engine have earned it the nickname ‘Ecoboom’ by owners.

Gearbox: Be wary of the pre-facelift Powershift automatic: the plastic retainers inside the gearbox wear over time, break off and get churned up by the cogs. The gearbox then needs to be removed, all the parts replaced and then flushed out. We would suggest you opt for a car with a manual gearbox or the more robust post-facelift auto.

Differential: Listen for a metallic grinding noise from the rear of a four-wheel-drive car. This is caused when the diff leaks oil and a lack of lubrication between the bearings inside means they grind against each other and wear down.

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Body: Check the underside of four-wheel-drive cars, which may have seen the odd gravel track or rutted byway.

Interior: Feel the inside of the boot and underneath the rubber floor mat for damp. Water can leak into the boot via the roof rail seals or the high brake light.

Most Kugas will have been a family hauler at some point in their life so assess the trims, seats, carpets, belts and other areas for excessive wear.

An expert’s view

Jim Harris, Harris on 4D: “Petrols and diesels suffer from different problems, such as water pump failure; most of the issues tend to be down to electrics. Then there’s engine management, diesel particulate filter (DPF) and emissions issues. The Powershift gearbox is troublesome. Four-wheel-drive models tend to have more issues than the front-wheel drive, and higher-spec models with more kit tend to go wrong more often. Higher-spec models tend to suffer from electrical issues due to water ingress, so leaks through the bulkhead and body module contamination.”

Also worth knowing

The 2.0-litre diesel four-wheel drive with 178bhp has a 2100kg braked towing capacity so is ideal for towing a caravan or trailer.

The Kuga was rated five stars by Euro NCAP when it was first launched in 2013, scoring highly for both adult occupant (94%) and child occupant (86%) safety.

Sam Phillips

Sam Phillips
Title: Staff Writer

Sam joined the Autocar team in summer 2024 and has been a contributor since 2021. He is tasked with writing used reviews and first drives as well as updating top 10s and evergreen content on the Autocar website. 

He previously led sister-title Move Electric, which covers the entire spectrum of electric vehicles, from cars to boats – and even trucks. He is an expert in new car news, used cars, electric cars, microbility, classic cars and motorsport. 

Sam graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2021 with a BA in Journalism. In his final year he produced an in-depth feature on the automotive industry’s transition to electric cars and interviewed a number of leading experts to assess our readiness for the impending ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars.

Matt Prior

Matt Prior
Title: Editor-at-large

Matt is Autocar’s lead features writer and presenter, is the main face of Autocar’s YouTube channel, presents the My Week In Cars podcast and has written his weekly column, Tester’s Notes, since 2013.

Matt is an automotive engineer who has been writing and talking about cars since 1997. He joined Autocar in 2005 as deputy road test editor, prior to which he was road test editor and world rally editor for Channel 4’s automotive website, 4Car. 

Into all things engineering and automotive from any era, Matt is as comfortable regularly contributing to sibling titles Move Electric and Classic & Sports Car as he is writing for Autocar. He has a racing licence, and some malfunctioning classic cars and motorbikes.