Alfa Romeo tops claims list
Alfa Romeo drivers are most likely to make a claim, according to analysis from more than 40,000 policies.
Warranty Direct found that 40% of Alfa Romeo drivers made a claim last year, compared to 36% of Porsche drivers and 34% of Land Rover drivers.
It took the statistics from more than 40,000 policies and more than £3m-worth of authorised claims.
But while more Alfa Romeo drivers claimed, their average claim was £355.47 compared to the £1,019.07 of the average Porsche claim – which was by far the highest. Common claims for Porsche owners included suspension and electrical issues, along with steering faults.
Making up the top 10 of claims were Chrysler (26%), Mercedes-Benz (25%), Jaguar (23%), Lexus (22%), BMW (16%), Volvo (16%) and Citroen (15%).
Amongst these results, Mercedes-Benz is particularly significant given the brand’s popularity. In 2015 alone the company sold 145,254 units in the UK, which equated to more than five per cent of the market share. However, an average repair cost of £559.99 is the highest after Porsche and BMW.
When assessing the top five manufacturers on the list’s most frequent reasons for a claim, axle and suspension problems were common, along with electrical problems. Although not one of the most regular faults, gearbox repairs came at significant cost and averaged over £1,250 per repair across these top five brands.
The figures also revealed a trend of Japanese manufacturers overtaking European options as the most reliable vehicles on the market. Honda, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota all had between just three per cent and six per cent of their policies claimed on throughout the year.
COO of Warranty Direct Philip Ward said, ‘With many cars becoming increasingly more complex in terms of component parts, repair costs will continue to rise throughout 2017. Vehicles which might initially seem reliable and reasonably priced can end up becoming a financial liability for the owner.’
