Likes
- Plush interior and great driving position
- Incredible driving experience
- An absolute future classic
Used Jaguar F-Type review
2013 - 2024
Dislikes
- Long list of potential issues
- Don’t bother with the 4-cylinder versions
- Plenty of cheaper, more reliable options in this segment
Stuff you should know
Has any car been more tempting to buy, but at the same time raised more questions than a pre-owned Jaguar F-Type,? It’s utterly beautiful, there’s no doubt it’s easily one of Jaguar’s best ever performance cars and have you seen how cheap these have become on the used market? But, it is a Jaguar, and that can be a concern.
Do a quick search of the most unreliable car brands out there and often Jaguar Land Rover, or JLR, will populate the very nasty end of the lists.
So we need to know, is the F-TYPE a guilty accomplice for perpetuating this terrible reputation, or is it the sexy performance car bargain we all desperately want it to be?
One of the first issues is making sense of the convoluted mess that is the Jaguar F-Type range. First of all, you know how cars generally have a mid-cycle update or two? Well, that didn’t occur with the F-Type, these were upgraded or at least changed, every single year of production. And remember, that was for 11 years and yes technically there are three iterations but substantial changes were made even within these iterations.
For example, in 2014, a year after production of the convertible started with their supercharged V6 and V8 engines, a coupé was introduced, in 2015 all-wheel drive models became an option as did a 6-speed manual for the V6s. In 2018, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo joined the range, the in-car tech received an upgrade and the aesthetics were given a subtle facelift. But in 2021 the facelift was far more extensive and the 4- and 6-cylinder engines were dropped from the range. Finally, in 2024 Jaguar called a wrap on the F-Type for good.
Now for the trim specs. Jaguar decided to offer the F-Type in a silly number of different variants and models, how many do you think, 10? 12? Try 54! 54 different variants, here in Australia I don’t know how we coped because we only received 22 of them.
But where a used F-Type might be tempting you, is in what they now cost. Pricing here in Australia kicks off from as little as $65,000 and yes tops out at over $250,000. Take our test car for example, a 2013 V6S, brand new it was asking around $175,000, this one is currently for sale for $70,000, it has dropped $105,000 in value.
Compare that to an equivalent Porsche, which would be a 981 Boxster S, they retailed for around $20,000 less than the Jag, these days they are generally asking $10 to $20,000 more!
What goes wrong?
Exterior:
First of all, owners of early white models have reported that the paint around the crease between the back of the door and the rear wheel arch can flake off, however, apparently more recent models have sorted this.
Also, check that the doors align properly and if you see discrepancies in the panel gaps you might think this is a sign of poorly repaired accident damage, but that might not be the case. The F-Type can be guilty of some misaligned panels and doors that might not fit perfectly, which seems an insane thing to happen to a car asking what these did when they were new.
Then we get to the sexy headlights, unfortunately condensation can build in these, this is just something that happens and chances are it will go away after a few days.
But, that could be the least of the troubles for the headlights, if you’re looking at a 2017 to 2020 models fitted with LED headlights, the DRLs can have issues, from flickering through to just failing to work. This issue is so bad there’s actually a class action lawsuit in the US about it and there are entire Facebook groups dedicated to the issue.
If the F-Type you’re looking at is out of warranty, and you need to pay for the repairs, some owners have been quoted in excess of $5000, per headlight to fix it. Some owners that have had it fixed, have found the problem just comes back after about 3 years.
However, that’s not it for electronic gremlins, owners have reported that the fuel filler cap sometimes won’t lock, the brake lights can remain lit, even when you’re not braking, generally it’s the switch on the way out. The pop out door handles can refuse to pop out or retract. Then some 2014 and 2015 models had an issue where the body control module could have a little tantrum and not raise the rear spoiler, however that could be the least of the problems with the spoiler, more on this in a sec.
Now on convertible models, the power-operated roof is generally very reliable, however, some owners have found that they can get stuck in a nearly-closed-but-not-quite-closed position, and some of the mechanism can sit proud when the top is down. This generally just requires the car to be restarted, but on occasion it might need a visit to the dealership to get it sorted.
Then on the coupè models, check the seal around the opening aperture of the boot, has it perished at all, has it been damaged because water leaks can occur.
Now back to the larger spoiler issue, there are reports that the gasket that stops
Exterior:
First of all, owners of early white models have reported that the paint around the crease between the back of the door and the rear wheel arch can flake off, however, apparently more recent models have sorted this.
Also, check that the doors align properly and if you see discrepancies in the panel gaps you might think this is a sign of poorly repaired accident damage, but that might not be the case. The F-Type can be guilty of some misaligned panels and doors that might not fit perfectly, which seems an insane thing to happen to a car asking what these did when they were new.
Then we get to the sexy headlights, unfortunately condensation can build in these, this is just something that happens and chances are it will go away after a few days.
But, that could be the least of the troubles for the headlights, if you’re looking at a 2017 to 2020 models fitted with LED headlights, the DRLs can have issues, from flickering through to just failing to work. This issue is so bad there’s actually a class action lawsuit in the US about it and there are entire Facebook groups dedicated to the issue.
If the F-Type you’re looking at is out of warranty, and you need to pay for the repairs, some owners have been quoted in excess of $5000, per headlight to fix it. Some owners that have had it fixed, have found the problem just comes back after about 3 years.
However, that’s not it for electronic gremlins, owners have reported that the fuel filler cap sometimes won’t lock, the brake lights can remain lit, even when you’re not braking, generally it’s the switch on the way out. The pop out door handles can refuse to pop out or retract. Then some 2014 and 2015 models had an issue where the body control module could have a little tantrum and not raise the rear spoiler, however that could be the least of the problems with the spoiler, more on this in a sec.
Now on convertible models, the power-operated roof is generally very reliable, however, some owners have found that they can get stuck in a nearly-closed-but-not-quite-closed position, and some of the mechanism can sit proud when the top is down. This generally just requires the car to be restarted, but on occasion it might need a visit to the dealership to get it sorted.
Then on the coupè models, check the seal around the opening aperture of the boot, has it perished at all, has it been damaged because water leaks can occur.
Now back to the larger spoiler issue, there are reports that the gasket that stops water leaking in under the spoiler can deteriorate and eventually this lets water in. Also, this is not something that is generally checked with normal servicing.
The issue with any water leaking into the back is that the battery and a load of electronics are hiding under the boot floor and water and electricity don’t mix. In fact, if water leaks are left unchecked, worst case scenario the water can corrode the wiring loom and cause extremely serious damage. A number of owners reported that to get this fixed, they’ve been quoted in excess of $30,000!!!
Speaking of moisture ruining things, in cold or wet climates especially, get underneath and check for rust, especially suspension components, rear sub frame and rear diff, fine if you catch it early, but a major issue if it’s left.
Inside:
The soft touch plastics all over the place, this can degrade and it gets that gross sticky feel to it. This can be removed with rubbing alcohol but be warned, chances are the stickiness will come back because it’s actually the plastic deteriorating and you’re far better off just replacing the switches bit of trim that are going bad.
While you’re at it, you might need to replace the starter button too, these are known to fade over time.
Also on plastics degrading, loads of owners have mentioned that it’s safe to expect a few rattles and squeaks from the interior plastics as they become brittle over time and the overall fit and finish of the materials in general and sense of quality can feel a little on the cheap side.
Even basic design stuff is a little off, like the seats can rub against the back so it makes a creaking sound.
Anything powered by electricity, take the time and make sure it all works, push every button, try every function.
Specifically, check the steering wheel buttons, the powered seats movements, the power windows, the air conditioning on every setting and especially the air vents that rise up out of the dash. All of these things have reports of them failing, again some owners are lucky and have never had an issue but all this stuff is well documented.
Also, the BCM or body control module is in the passenger foot well and some owners have had grounding issues and it can be susceptible to water damage down there as well.
Now with all these potential electronic gremlins, there’s a chance the core issue might be as simple as a battery being on its way out, so check or replace the battery first, often this can fix loads of the problems.
Then we come to the infotainment system, look in its defence, early models are getting 10 to 12 years old, obviously the tech is going to feel very dated. There was a minor tech update in 2015, larger screens came in 2018 and the 2021 update improved the infotainment by leaps and bounds but it still isn’t class-leading by any means.
But no matter which generation of infotainment system you’re looking at, like pretty much every modern infotainment system in every car these days, there are reports of bluetooth and connection issues with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the screens can be unresponsive or just slow, the interface just locking up, the connection to the rear view cameras can be glitchy but again, some owners haven’t had a problem.
Mechanical:
The 2-litre petrol is from the Ingenium engine family which possibly has one of the worst reliability reputations of all engines of all time. But it’s the diesels, which are also called Ingenium, that give it the bad reputation.
So what about the petrol engine? Yeah, not that great either. It has a very complicated timing chain and valve train design and that’s the engines’ weakness, suffering from stretched chains and broken guide complications.
Oh, and just for shits and giggles, they designed it with the timing chain at the back of the engine, where in rear-wheel-drive applications, like the F-Type, it’s impossible to get at so it’s either transmission out or engine out to fix it. And if you’re wondering if the recommended oil change intervals have anything to do with that, yes, they have everything to do with that. If you want it to last past 100,00km, you must change the oil every 10,000km.
And no, your mechanic is not trying to rip you off by suggesting more frequent oil changes. Truth is that your mechanic would make more money from timing chain replacements.
As for the supercharged V6 engine, from an engineering perspective, this engine triggers us badly. I call it a Frankenstein block. The engine block is the V8 block casting with the back 2 cylinders blanked off. I get that it’s cheaper to make. But for me that’s the problem – it seems lazy and cheap.
The V6 shares basically everything with the V8 (except what’s in that weird void at the back where the 2 rear cylinders should be, so in terms of reliability, I’ll group them together. The most common failure with these is timing chain tensioners and guides failing, which leads to timing chains skipping and causing valve train and camshaft annihilation. The oil pump drive can be problematic too. But you do everything together if you’re in there.
Rattles on start-up is a sign that things aren’t going so well, but they can also fail without warning. If you hear a rattle on start-up, get it fixed ASAP. There are some reports in the 2013-2015 year models of the front crank pulley bolt breaking or coming loose. It’s not too common but when it fails the engine loses timing and a not catastrophic engine failure.
There are factory service bulletins about it but was not addressed as a recall, although there are upgraded bolts available. The super charger drive coupling and front bearing failure is a known issue. When the bearing wears you can hear it complaining and the coupler will tell you it’s unhappy too. It’ll start rattling and you’ll hear that mainly at idle. The cooling system on these is pretty fragile – water pump leaks are common and plastic components like thermostat housing and expansion tank tend to split and leak.
Transmission wise, it’s a ZF unit and is pretty reliable. Perhaps becuase Jaguar had nothing to do with it…
Exterior:
First of all, owners of early white models have reported that the paint around the crease between the back of the door and the rear wheel arch can flake off, however, apparently more recent models have sorted this.
Also, check that the doors align properly and if you see discrepancies in the panel gaps you might think this is a sign of poorly repaired accident damage, but that might not be the case. The F-Type can be guilty of some misaligned panels and doors that might not fit perfectly, which seems an insane thing to happen to a car asking what these did when they were new.
Then we get to the sexy headlights, unfortunately condensation can build in these, this is just something that happens and chances are it will go away after a few days.
But, that could be the least of the troubles for the headlights, if you’re looking at a 2017 to 2020 models fitted with LED headlights, the DRLs can have issues, from flickering through to just failing to work. This issue is so bad there’s actually a class action lawsuit in the US about it and there are entire Facebook groups dedicated to the issue.
If the F-Type you’re looking at is out of warranty, and you need to pay for the repairs, some owners have been quoted in excess of $5000, per headlight to fix it. Some owners that have had it fixed, have found the problem just comes back after about 3 years.
However, that’s not it for electronic gremlins, owners have reported that the fuel filler cap sometimes won’t lock, the brake lights can remain lit, even when you’re not braking, generally it’s the switch on the way out. The pop out door handles can refuse to pop out or retract. Then some 2014 and 2015 models had an issue where the body control module could have a little tantrum and not raise the rear spoiler, however that could be the least of the problems with the spoiler, more on this in a sec.
Now on convertible models, the power-operated roof is generally very reliable, however, some owners have found that they can get stuck in a nearly-closed-but-not-quite-closed position, and some of the mechanism can sit proud when the top is down. This generally just requires the car to be restarted, but on occasion it might need a visit to the dealership to get it sorted.
Then on the coupè models, check the seal around the opening aperture of the boot, has it perished at all, has it been damaged because water leaks can occur.
Now back to the larger spoiler issue, there are reports that the gasket that stops water leaking in under the spoiler can deteriorate and eventually this lets water in. Also, this is not something that is generally checked with normal servicing.
The issue with any water leaking into the back is that the battery and a load of electronics are hiding under the boot floor and water and electricity don’t mix. In fact, if water leaks are left unchecked, worst case scenario the water can corrode the wiring loom and cause extremely serious damage. A number of owners reported that to get this fixed, they’ve been quoted in excess of $30,000!!!
Speaking of moisture ruining things, in cold or wet climates especially, get underneath and check for rust, especially suspension components, rear sub frame and rear diff, fine if you catch it early, but a major issue if it’s left.
Inside:
The soft touch plastics all over the place, this can degrade and it gets that gross sticky feel to it. This can be removed with rubbing alcohol but be warned, chances are the stickiness will come back because it’s actually the plastic deteriorating and you’re far better off just replacing the switches bit of trim that are going bad.
While you’re at it, you might need to replace the starter button too, these are known to fade over time.
Also on plastics degrading, loads of owners have mentioned that it’s safe to expect a few rattles and squeaks from the interior plastics as they become brittle over time and the overall fit and finish of the materials in general and sense of quality can feel a little on the cheap side.
Even basic design stuff is a little off, like the seats can rub against the back so it makes a creaking sound.
Anything powered by electricity, take the time and make sure it all works, push every button, try every function.
Specifically, check the steering wheel buttons, the powered seats movements, the power windows, the air conditioning on every setting and especially the air vents that rise up out of the dash. All of these things have reports of them failing, again some owners are lucky and have never had an issue but all this stuff is well documented.
Also, the BCM or body control module is in the passenger foot well and some owners have had grounding issues and it can be susceptible to water damage down there as well.
Now with all these potential electronic gremlins, there’s a chance the core issue might be as simple as a battery being on its way out, so check or replace the battery first, often this can fix loads of the problems.
Then we come to the infotainment system, look in its defence, early models are getting 10 to 12 years old, obviously the tech is going to feel very dated. There was a minor tech update in 2015, larger screens came in 2018 and the 2021 update improved the infotainment by leaps and bounds but it still isn’t class-leading by any means.
But no matter which generation of infotainment system you’re looking at, like pretty much every modern infotainment system in every car these days, there are reports of bluetooth and connection issues with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the screens can be unresponsive or just slow, the interface just locking up, the connection to the rear view cameras can be glitchy but again, some owners haven’t had a problem.
Mechanical:
The 2-litre petrol is from the Ingenium engine family which possibly has one of the worst reliability reputations of all engines of all time. But it’s the diesels, which are also called Ingenium, that give it the bad reputation.
So what about the petrol engine? Yeah, not that great either. It has a very complicated timing chain and valve train design and that’s the engines’ weakness, suffering from stretched chains and broken guide complications.
Oh, and just for shits and giggles, they designed it with the timing chain at the back of the engine, where in rear-wheel-drive applications, like the F-Type, it’s impossible to get at so it’s either transmission out or engine out to fix it. And if you’re wondering if the recommended oil change intervals have anything to do with that, yes, they have everything to do with that. If you want it to last past 100,00km, you must change the oil every 10,000km.
And no, your mechanic is not trying to rip you off by suggesting more frequent oil changes. Truth is that your mechanic would make more money from timing chain replacements.
As for the supercharged V6 engine, from an engineering perspective, this engine triggers us badly. I call it a Frankenstein block. The engine block is the V8 block casting with the back 2 cylinders blanked off. I get that it’s cheaper to make. But for me that’s the problem – it seems lazy and cheap.
The V6 shares basically everything with the V8 (except what’s in that weird void at the back where the 2 rear cylinders should be, so in terms of reliability, I’ll group them together. The most common failure with these is timing chain tensioners and guides failing, which leads to timing chains skipping and causing valve train and camshaft annihilation. The oil pump drive can be problematic too. But you do everything together if you’re in there.
Rattles on start-up is a sign that things aren’t going so well, but they can also fail without warning. If you hear a rattle on start-up, get it fixed ASAP. There are some reports in the 2013-2015 year models of the front crank pulley bolt breaking or coming loose. It’s not too common but when it fails the engine loses timing and a not catastrophic engine failure.
There are factory service bulletins about it but was not addressed as a recall, although there are upgraded bolts available. The super charger drive coupling and front bearing failure is a known issue. When the bearing wears you can hear it complaining and the coupler will tell you it’s unhappy too. It’ll start rattling and you’ll hear that mainly at idle. The cooling system on these is pretty fragile – water pump leaks are common and plastic components like thermostat housing and expansion tank tend to split and leak.
Transmission wise, it’s a ZF unit and is pretty reliable. Perhaps becuase Jaguar had nothing to do with it…
Should you buy one?
After taking into account all the possible exterior, interior and mechanical issues, you might be thinking we would never recommend you buy an Jaguar F-Type, right? Well for loads of examples, yes, that is correct.
Unfortunately, so many F-Types on the used market have missed critical maintenance and servicing, sometimes through no fault of the previous owner, they just haven’t been aware that a car like this requires fastidious levels of care and attention. And the problem with that is it’s the next owner that can pay the price for the previous owner’s neglect.
Then when you consider the cost of parts and labour and even general maintenance, the fact depreciation seems to only slow down when cars are towards the bottom end of the market, the wrong F-Type could be a world of hurt. However, as we’ve found, not all F-Types are equal.
There are examples out there that have been owned by the most fastidious of enthusiasts, that have had every dollar spent on them and come with the most comprehensive of service histories, these are the F-Types to buy.
Yes, they’ll often ask a premium but it is completely worth paying it because the right Jaguar F-Type can be an outrageously wonderful car.
After taking into account all the possible exterior, interior and mechanical issues, you might be thinking we would never recommend you buy an Jaguar F-Type, right? Well for loads of examples, yes, that is correct.
Unfortunately, so many F-Types on the used market have missed critical maintenance and servicing, sometimes through no fault of the previous owner, they just haven’t been aware that a car like this requires fastidious levels of care and attention. And the problem with that is it’s the next owner that can pay the price for the previous owner’s neglect.
Then when you consider the cost of parts and labour and even general maintenance, the fact depreciation seems to only slow down when cars are towards the bottom end of the market, the wrong F-Type could be a world of hurt. However, as we’ve found, not all F-Types are equal.
There are examples out there that have been owned by the most fastidious of enthusiasts, that have had every dollar spent on them and come with the most comprehensive of service histories, these are the F-Types to buy.
Yes, they’ll often ask a premium but it is completely worth paying it because the right Jaguar F-Type can be an outrageously wonderful car.
Should you buy one?
After taking into account all the possible exterior, interior and mechanical issues, you might be thinking we would never recommend you buy an Jaguar F-Type, right? Well for loads of examples, yes, that is correct.
Unfortunately, so many F-Types on the used market have missed critical maintenance and servicing, sometimes through no fault of the previous owner, they just haven’t been aware that a car like this requires fastidious levels of care and attention. And the problem with that is it’s the next owner that can pay the price for the previous owner’s neglect.
Then when you consider the cost of parts and labour and even general maintenance, the fact depreciation seems to only slow down when cars are towards the bottom end of the market, the wrong F-Type could be a world of hurt. However, as we’ve found, not all F-Types are equal.
There are examples out there that have been owned by the most fastidious of enthusiasts, that have had every dollar spent on them and come with the most comprehensive of service histories, these are the F-Types to buy.
Yes, they’ll often ask a premium but it is completely worth paying it because the right Jaguar F-Type can be an outrageously wonderful car.
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Disclaimer
Please note that pricing information is subject to fluctuations in the automotive market.
Information correct as of July 04, 2025.
The advice provided on this website is general advice only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs.
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