Porsche 911 Carrera: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Porsche 911 Carrera: 15 model years scored from 102 NHTSA owner complaints and 16 recall campaigns. Worst year 2020, best year 2012.
Porsche 911 Carrera: which years to avoid
Across 13 scored model years the Porsche 911 Carrera ranges from 52/100 in 2022 to 94/100 in 2016 — a 42-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a 911 Carrera at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Fuel/Propulsion System (12 of them).
Safest years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 — scored 70 or better.
Check carefully: 2022.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2012 (score 89). Worst: 2020 (score 76, BUY).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,230 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,570 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 83 | BUY | $4,748 | 6 | 1 |
| 2022 | 52 | CAUTION | $4,945 | 20 | 1 |
| 2021 | 81 | BUY | $5,028 | 10 | 1 |
| 2020 | 76 | BUY | $5,168 | 12 | 5 |
| 2019 | 93 | BUY | $4,480 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018 | 94 | BUY | $4,614 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017 | 85 | BUY | $4,766 | 8 | 2 |
| 2016 | 94 | BUY | $5,147 | 4 | 0 |
| 2015 | 86 | BUY | $5,307 | 16 | 0 |
| 2014 | 91 | BUY | $5,424 | 3 | 1 |
| 2013 | 90 | BUY | $5,578 | 12 | 1 |
| 2012 | 89 | BUY | $5,806 | 5 | 3 |
| 2011 | 92 | BUY | $5,990 | 0 | 1 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
911 Carrera sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the 911 Carrera on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Porsche 911 Carrera
Across every 911 Carrera model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Fuel/Propulsion System26 complaints across all 911 Carrera years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
- Engine23 complaints across all 911 Carrera years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System18 complaints across all 911 Carrera years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Exterior Lighting12 complaints across all 911 Carrera years · typical job: Headlamp assembly or lighting-module replacement$360–$1,380
- Power Train9 complaints across all 911 Carrera years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Visibility/Wiper8 complaints across all 911 Carrera years · typical job: Wiper motor, linkage or windscreen replacement$490–$1,200
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
What are the best Porsche 911 Carrera years to buy?
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018… all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2016 at 94/100, on 4 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
Which Porsche 911 Carrera years should I avoid?
The 2020 is the weakest year we score, at 76/100 (BUY), on 12 complaints and 5 recalls. Check the year-by-year table above before committing to any particular car.
What is the most common Porsche 911 Carrera problem?
26 of the complaints filed against the 911 Carrera across all its model years sit in the Fuel/Propulsion System group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04