Japanese brands top reliability charts
The Mitsubishi Lancer is the most reliable family car according to extensive research from Warranty Direct.
Through its Reliability Index website, it analyses 50,000 live policies on three to eight-year old vehicles, measuring time spent off the road and the reliability of parts such as air conditioning, axle and suspension, braking, cooling, electrical components, engines and fuel.
It found that the Mitsubishi Lancer is the most reliable family car with the time spent off the road for repairs typically less than an hour and the average repair cost only £69.
The Honda Insight came in at second place, but due to a high number of reported issues occurring with its axle suspension, the costs of repairs are over double that of Mitsubishi’s averaging at around £137. This lowered its position in the rankings.
The research also found that 80% of the top 10 most reliable cars were Japanese models and Honda did particularly well with four of its models making the list. The reliability of Japanese vehicles is believed to stem from Japan’s superior production processes and more meticulous testing regimes.
The least reliable family car is the Skoda Superb, due in part to the large number of reported issues occurring in its engine (30%) and repair time averaging at around three hours and costing around £578.
Philip Ward, COO of Warranty Direct commented, said, ‘Families demand a lot from their cars and need vehicles that won’t let them down. Mitsubishi’s success in the reliability rankings is chiefly down to low failure rates and when things go wrong, they are cheaper to fix. It’s imperative for buyers to consider reliability when purchasing a used family car. Manufacturers demonstrating their cars are durable and cheaper to maintain will continue to be the most popular choices amongst buyers.’
The full top 10 is: Mitsubishi Lancer; Honda Insight; Mercedes-Benz CLC; Honda Accord; Honda Civic (00-06); Toyota Prius; Hyundai i30; Nissan Almera; and Honda Civic (06 and after).
View the Reliability Index website for more vehicle ratings here.
