The Lemon Index
Aston Martin's 5.2 L twin-turbo 60° V12 in the DB11 V12, DBS and Vantage V12, model years 2017–2023. YouTube likes the 2017 best.
A safer bet: YouTube owner tone 56/100, #20 of 165 engines with a YouTube study (in the top third); no engine-related recall on record.
Reliability by year
Not enough complaints to chart. We found no government complaints we can tie to this engine's cars. Supercars sell in small numbers, so we show YouTube, recalls and the automaker's repair notes instead.
YouTube videos are most positive about the 2017 (58) and least about the 2020 (55); neighboring years share many of the same videos, so small gaps mean little.
How we count: owner complaints only where the car's name and year leave no doubt; YouTube tone from videos that name this engine or its cars. How we count
Owner complaints (NHTSA) are filed by model and year, not engine. We count one for this engine only when the model name and year had no other engine (e.g. "488 GTB", "GT-R"), or when the owner's own words name a version that had only this engine that year (Z06, ZR1, Hellcat, GT500 ...). They cover the whole car (wheels, air bags, electrics ...), not only the engine, and none of them is a failure rate. We chart them only for engines with 30 or more, over 3 or more years. YouTube tone = how positive the videos are, 0–100, from titles and transcripts (praise vs trouble words, the title counts 3 times), weighted by views; a year needs at least 3 videos' worth. A video counts for this engine when its title names the engine or a car that only had this engine in the years it names; a video whose title names no model year counts toward every year of that car, so neighboring years share most of their videos.
All the numbers, year by year
| Year | Cars | Owner complaints | YouTube says | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | DB11 V12 | 0 | 58 (72 videos) | 0 |
| 2018 | DB11 V12 | 0 | 56 (74 videos) | 0 |
| 2019 | DB11 V12, DBS | 0 | 57 (115 videos) | 0 |
| 2020 | DB11 V12, DBS | 0 | 55 (111 videos) | 0 |
| 2021 | DBS, DB11 V12 | 0 | 55 (106 videos) | 0 |
| 2022 | DBS, DB11 V12 | 0 | 56 (103 videos) | 0 |
| 2023 | Vantage V12, DBS, DB11 V12 | 0 | 57 (102 videos) | 0 |
Recalls on cars with this engine
No NHTSA recalls we can tie to this engine's cars.
Engine problems Aston Martin told dealers about
Aston Martin sent dealers 10 repair notes about the engine on these cars, including:
- Inspection Process for Damper Oil Leakage
- Procedure to learn engine misfire corrections (V12) - DBS Superleggera added to document
NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins), matched by model name and year like the complaints, engine-related ones only. A repair note is not a recall: ask a seller whether it was done.
Every US version with this engine
| Car and versions | Years |
|---|---|
| Aston Martin DB11 / DB12 DB11 V12 | 2017–23 |
| Aston Martin DBS DBS | 2019–23 |
| Aston Martin Vantage Vantage V12 | 2023 |
Engine code: AE31. Power: 600–759 hp, factory figures. Versions and years: EPA (fueleconomy.gov). Sources: Aston Martin DB11 · Aston Martin DBS Superleggera · Aston Martin V12 engine.
Quick answers
What cars have the Aston Martin AE31 V12 engine?
In the US: the Aston Martin DB11 V12, Aston Martin DBS, Aston Martin Vantage V12, model years 2017–2023. See the version table for each one.
Is the Aston Martin AE31 V12 reliable?
Mostly yes. YouTube owner tone 56/100, #20 of 165 engines with a YouTube study (in the top third); no engine-related recall on record. Not enough owner complaints to judge it per car: supercars sell in small numbers. Have any used car inspected.
How much horsepower does the Aston Martin AE31 V12 make?
600–759 hp in factory figures, depending on the car.