The EU has an agency called Safety Gate, which was previously called Rapid Exchange of Information System, which seeks to flag up safety risks for all products on sale in the EU, including cars. This leads to cars being recalled to have remedial work carried out, almost always at the cost of the original manufacturer, not the consumer.

The website car-recalls.eu specialises in deciphering the data from the system – and it has just compiled a list of the most recalled car brands in Europe for 2024. Now clearly the companies with larger model ranges tend to have the most recalls, so please bear that in mind when viewing the data. Looking at 20 car brands in total, we start at the brand with the fewest recalls of the 20 in 2024, and work our way up to the car brand with the most recalls in Europe over the past 12 months:

Editor’s note: Due to the extent of defects with certain models, not all affected cars, model years and defects have been named. Follow the link on the last slide to get a full rundown of all defects affecting all models and for how to find out about recalls affecting your car