VW are the most overrated brand out there. They are if anything bottom of the list and just before the French and Italians when it comes to reliability. Strangely enough though, Skoda seem to have an enviable reputation for quality and reliability even though they are 100% VW components and engineering. One brand that are very underrated in the reliability stakes are Ford. Ever since they got their fingers burnt with the Mk5 Escort they have been making cars that are brilliant in engineering and packaging.