Five Cars Not Prone to Rust vs Five Rust Buckets

You should stop reminiscing about your grandpa's old car that would not rust due to tin body and a sliver of metal. Modern models also have something to boast. However, they do have some things to be ashamed of as well. But let’s take it step by step.

Reporters from Hotcars.com auto website scoured the car market and found 5 cars that have and always will rust, no matter how you treat them. And they also picked 5 other cars that are practically immune to corrosion since the manufacturers invested in the body work.

Naturally, let's start with the bad news, that is the rust bucket list.

1. Saturn Relay

General Motors produced the Saturn Relay for only about two years - from 2005 to 2007. One of the reasons why the car’s days on the assembly line were cut short was its body’s outstanding susceptibility to corrosion. A $22,000 car would get covered in brown spots of rust literally in a matter of months. Even a moderate price could not make this quickly sieving vehicle attractive which obliterated buyer confidence.

2. Ford Ka

When the American manufacturer designed the Ford Ka, he intended to create a small, simple and reliable city car. But it turned out to be cramped, plain and slow - the 1.3-liter engine accelerated Ka to 100 km/h in “just” 13 seconds. In addition, this snail car rusted quite quickly since the manufacturer saved on anti-corrosion treatment of the body – the toy car was planned to be as cheap as possible.

3. Ford Focus

At Ford, everything has been traditionally good with the corrosion resistance of their pickup trucks, and traditionally bad with sedans. For several years in a row, Consumer Reports (a magazine of the US Consumer Union) has included the Focus on the list of the least reliable cars. Problems with the service life of components and various aggregates are not the only ones that Focus owners face. Like many other inexpensive Ford cars, this one has low corrosion resistance. So, when buying a Focus, don't be surprised to find rust on the lower parts of the car body, even with low mileage. The car suffers from another unpleasant ailment - peeling of the paint coat. Apparently, the defect is related to poor factory painting technologies for body panels.

4. Toyota RAV-4

Toyota has been producing reliable cars for many years. Their cars are regularly included on the list of the most reliable cars by Consumer Reports and are considered safe which made them one of the best selling cars in the United States and Canada. And yet, the anti-corrosion treatment of the RAV-4 cannot be called exemplary, especially in its 2-4 generations. These SUVs suffer from corrosion at a relatively young age. The under grill rusts, and the rear door underlining and the sill are prone to "sandblasting". If the problem areas are not repainted in time, numerous corrosion points appear.

5. Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Anyone who has a lot of money finds a lot of pros in this car which has been produced since 2005. However, even the most dedicated fans of the model admit that the RRS has a weak factory anti-corrosion treatment, especially on the undercarriage. The car will not rot to the bone of course, but large areas of rust on aged vehicles (10 years +) are practically a given.

In Range Rover Sport rust is a threat to the wheel arches, trunk door, windshield and roof joints, as well as the lower edges of the doors. Fortunately, external aluminum panels usually cause no problems, if the technological process was done properly during their painting or repair.

Invisible Heroes

Now let's get acquainted with the top five models with impressive anti-corrosion resistance.

1. Lexus LS

The Japanese have the best anti-corrosion resistance. So, if you want a car that will not trouble you with rust issues, take a closer look at popular Japanese brands. Of course, there are exceptions to all rules but this one is a real front-runner. Lexus LS is a full-size luxury sedan - LS actually stands for Luxury Sedan – that is the flagship model of the brand. Its current version is the 5th generation one since 1989 with none of the cars generating any serious complaints about corrosion.

2. Volvo S60

We know that the Swedes are good at making safe cars. The fact that they have a reliable corrosion protection is less well-known. Back in 2000, Volvo introduced the S60, a compact and comfortable sedan that replaced the S70. Since then, three generations of the car have come off the conveyor. The Swedes assemble the latter at their US plant in Ridgeville, South Carolina. It is now the only global supplier of the S60 after the production of the model in China ceased in 2019. But the important thing is that neither the first two Chinese generations of S60, nor the third American one have had problems with rust due to the high-quality anti-corrosion treatment of the body.

3. Volkswagen Golf

Volkswagen released its MK1, known in the US as the Volkswagen Rabbit, in 1974. The car was an instant success. Inexpensive, fuel efficient (at the time consumption of 8.6l/100 km was considered meager) and easy to manage - what else could you wish for?

In Europe, the car turned out to be a hit, becoming one of the few to be named the European Car of the Year twice.

Replacing the legendary Beetle on the assembly line, the Golf simply had to surpass it in many respects. And it did. The Golf surpassed the veteran Beetle in terms of corrosion resistance, thanks to the galvanization of the majority of body parts which was standard for the model.

4. KIA Forte (К3)

The South Korean market knows Forte under the name K3. It hit the roads in 2008. KIA initially said that it developed the Forte to attract young buyers who wanted a car with a stand out design. In exchange for the appearance, some technical features of the car (for example, engine power) had to be sacrificed.

But in order for the car to keep you happy as long as possible, the company paid attention to its anti-corrosion protection. The body of the KIA Forte is galvanized and is set to last a long time.

5. Hyundai Accent

Inexpensive cars can successfully resist corrosion which was proven by the modest Accent sedan from the South Korean manufacturer who’s been making them since 1994. In 2008, JD Power and Associates named it the most reliable car of the year which was in part due to the anti-corrosion protection of the Accent body where the panels are subjected to galvanization. It is then covered with prime coat and plant reinforced with anti-corrosion seal where needed like the wheel wells.