26 July 2013

Honda named UK’s most reliable car - again!

What Car? and Warranty Direct Reliability Survey names Honda the most reliable car manufacturers of 2013, claiming the top spot for the eighth year in a row

A study by What Car?, released yesterday, has revealed the most and least reliable car manufacturers, as well as the most and least reliable models. Honda has topped the list for the eighth year running in the annual What Car? and Warranty Direct Reliability Survey, which takes into account owners overall reliability score, the average yearly cost of repairs and any common issues with the model.

Honda has been awarded the top spot due to the low failure rates of its models, and the low cost of repairing the vehicles if they do happen to go wrong, making them the most reliable car manufacturer! Second and third to last on the list are car manufacturers Land Rover and Porsche. Surprisingly, the survey revealed pricey car manufacturer Bentley to be the least reliable make, with 86% of Bentley owners claiming to have had a problem with their car at some point.

Bentley responded to report by stating that the survey was not an accurate reflection of the "Bentley ownership experience”. A spokesperson said that due to the high-quality materials used to make a Bentley the "cost of owning and maintain [one] is never going to be comparable with other cars in this survey”. What Car? And Warranty Direct have not included other premium brands such as Ferrari, Aston Martin and Rolls Royce, because the sample size is too small. Bentley's warranty programme shows that the "number of claims on three to five year old cars has decreased significantly”.

The research shows that Hyundai cars are the cheapest to repair if something does go wrong, with an average annual bill of £253. On the other side of the scale, Porshe have the highest repair bill, at £616. For individual models, the most reliable are the Mitsubishi Lancer and Vauxhall Agila, which are also cheaper to repair, and have the least problems on average. The least reliable model was revealed to be the Audi RS6.

According to the research, Hyundai cars are the cheapest to repair when something does go wrong, with an average bill of £253, while Porsche cars are the most expensive at £616.

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,

The iconic Porsche 911 proved the most expensive to fix, with an eye-watering average repair bill of £1,157.

If you are looking to buy a new or used car, it is a good idea to take surveys such as this into account and check how much repairs will cost if something does go wrong.

Similarly, if you are not looking for a new car it is a good idea to compare insurance policies here to make sure you are covered for costly repairs, particularly if your car is a model which has a high average annual cost! Compare insurance policies here.

Extended car warranty is also a good idea to look into, and will cover you for things such as wear and tear and breakdown of uninsured parts. Compare warranties here.

It is also a good idea to get breakdown cover, if your car breaks down it can be costly for rescue, so compare breakdown cover here.

It is worth noting that for some breakdown cover policies will renew your existing policy for a higher price than a new customer.