Honda takes reliability award for eighth consecutive years

Embargo 00.01 Friday 26th July 2013

• Japanese brands still top reliability list, filling 7 out of top 10 places
• Luxury and premium cars break down most often
• Honda is the most reliable used car manufacturer in the UK for the eighth consecutive year, according to research by What Car? and Warranty Direct.

The Japanese brand topped the survey of 38 manufacturers and 50,000 live Warranty Direct policies on three to eight-year old vehicles.

Once again, Asian manufacturers dominated the study of the most reliable brands, with Suzuki and Hyundai second and third behind Honda. Only Chevrolet and Ford break the Far Eastern stranglehold of the top 10.

At the other end of the scale, luxury and prestige marques Bentley, Land Rover and Porsche are the most likely to break down – 86% of Bentleys suffer a problem each year, making it Britain’s least dependable car maker.

What Car? editor-in-chief Chas Hallett said: “Honda’s success in the reliability stakes is down to low failure rates, and when cars do go wrong they’re easy and cheap to fix.

“Reliability is one of the key attributes that buyers look for when looking to make a used purchase, so manufacturers that can demonstrate that quality will always fare well.

“The manufacturers at the bottom end of the table could learn a thing or two from their Japanese counterparts.”

Reliability rating of all manufacturers

Warranty Direct managing director Duncan McClure Fisher said: “Household budgets are already strained, so the last thing you want is a vehicle that costs you yet more unwanted bills.

“That is why it pays to research cars before you buy – make the wrong choice and you could land yourself with a car that causes you nothing but hassle and money.”

Overall, the most reliable models are the Mitsubishi Lancer and Vauxhall Agila, both of which also star as the cheapest to repair. The least reliable model is the Audi RS6 but the iconic Porsche 911 is the most expensive to fix, with an eye-watering average repair bill of £1157.04.

Electrical faults are the most common across all cars, with almost a quarter (23.5%) needing a visit to the garage in an average year. Axle and suspension faults are also common, affecting 22% of cars.