WhatCar? UK Suss Out Reliability Kings

Japanese and Korean makes are still the best choice for a used car you can rely on, according to What Car? and warranty specialist Warranty Direct.

The new figures, released today, show that cars from European brands fail most often. However, based on Warranty Direct’s 50,000 live policies on cars of between three to eight years of age, they are also typically cheaper to fix.

Honda tops the standings in the annual car reliability study for an unprecedented sixth year in a row, recording an impressive 9% failure rate. The top 10 manufacturers all come from either Japan or Korea.

The combined What Car? and Warranty Direct study names British marque Land Rover as the least reliable brand, with 55% of its upmarket vehicles suffering faults in a 12-month period. Alfa Romeo (46%), Renault (45%) and Saab (43%) – all European brands – are the next most breakdown-prone manufacturers.

The top two European brands are Skoda and Smart in 11th and 12th respectively. Only they prevent an even stronger showing for Far Eastern manufacturers, by nudging ahead of Daewoo.

Most Reliable/Chance of Fault in 12 months(%)

1 Honda/9
2 Toyota/14
3 Suzuki/15
4 Lexus/15
5 Mitsubishi/15
6 Mazda/16
7 Subaru/17
8 Hyundai/20
9 Kia/21
10 Nissan/22
11 Skoda
12 Smart
13 Daewoo
14 Ford
15 Citroen
16 Porsche
17 Fiat
18 Mini
19 Peugeot
20 Volkswagen
21 Rover
22 Volvo
23 BMW
24 Seat
25 Jaguar
26 Audi
27 Vauxhall
28 Mercedes-Benz
29 MG
30 Chrysler
31 Jeep
32 Saab
33 Renault
34 Alfa Romeo
35 Land Rover

Meanwhile, the most expensive brand to repair is sportscar maker, Porsche, at an average cost of £690 (SGD 1193), followed by Mazda and Jeep, which cost £463 and £438 respectively.

In contrast, Fiat, Renault and Ford models cost the least to repair, at around £250 (SGD 432) on average. European cars make up seven of the cheapest 10 brands to fix. This is not a surprise since the survey is done in Europe with parts coming just across the Channel.

Further differences between European and Far Eastern manufacturers can be found in the problems they suffer the most. A third of faults found on European cars are down to electrical malfunctions, while owners of Japanese Subaru, Lexus and Suzuki cars report the most axle and suspension issues – accounting for nearly two in five of all their breakdowns.

Credits: wilswong