For the third year in a row Mazda has been named the most reliable car manufacturer in the UK according to data from independent automotive warranty specialist, Warranty Direct.
Duncan McClure-Fisher of Warranty Direct commented, "Problems are few and far between, and its cars age well. Infrequent garage visits, quick repair times and reasonable bills have helped consolidate its position
."
The Index not only represents the frequency of failure but the actual cost of repair. The average age of the vehicles analysed by Warranty Direct was 4.8 years old with 49,702 miles recorded.
Ford also comes out well in the league table, nabbing second place. Although the Blue Oval only records the market average failure rate of 31 percent, it does deliver the lowest average repair bill of £207.88 in 2003 to help boost its Index rating.
Pos.
|
Manufacturer
|
Average Repair Bill in 2003
|
Frequency of Failure (claims per 100 policies)
|
Warranty Direct Index
|
1
|
MAZDA
|
£275
|
16
|
58
|
2
|
FORD
|
£207.98
|
31
|
79
|
3
|
HONDA
|
£277.31
|
20
|
80
|
4
|
TOYOTA
|
£443.23
|
19
|
83
|
5
|
VAUXHALL
|
£233.4
|
35
|
92
|
6
|
HYUNDAI
|
£363.44
|
22
|
96
|
7
|
PEUGEOT
|
£248.23
|
33
|
101
|
8
|
NISSAN
|
£390.57
|
23
|
102
|
9
|
FIAT
|
£256.56
|
30
|
102
|
10
|
VOLVO
|
£308.04
|
30
|
107
|
11
|
MERCEDES
|
£336.43
|
21
|
108
|
12
|
CITROEN
|
£240.69
|
40
|
108
|
13
|
VOLKSWAGEN
|
£275.15
|
27
|
110
|
14
|
MITSUBISHI
|
£508.49
|
22
|
112
|
15
|
RENAULT
|
£288.76
|
37
|
118
|
16
|
BMW
|
£251.65
|
32
|
131
|
17
|
ROVER
|
£293.87
|
33
|
131
|
18
|
AUDI
|
£306.17
|
35
|
142
|
19
|
SAAB
|
£305.97
|
41
|
147
|
20
|
ALFA ROMEO
|
£420.93
|
38
|
201
|
21
|
LAND ROVER
|
£366.11
|
44
|
208
|
22
|
SUBARU
|
£1,038.99
|
21
|
237
|
23
|
JEEP
|
£587.92
|
41
|
263
|
The biggest improvement since 2002 came from Nissan, which jumped nine places to 8th in the list of 23 manufacturers analysed. The leap is good news for workers at the firm’s Sunderland plant who are responsible for production of the Micra, Almera and Primera models.
Japan’s four leading manufacturers all make it into the Top Ten, whereas Germany’s Mercedes (11th
), Volkswagen (13th
), BMW (16th
) and Audi (18th
) all slip down the table based on claims handled by Warranty Direct.
At the other end of the table, Jeep, with an average repair bill of £587.92 in 2003 and 41 claims per 100 policies held, remains the worst performer due to failures on air-conditioning units and rear suspension and axle problems.
Subaru’s dramatic fall of eleven places to 22nd
in the table may surprise a few observers. However, costly repairs to the Impreza’s engine and transmission units pushed the average bill to nearly £1,040 making it the most expensive model repaired in the year so far.
Land Rover and Alfa Romeo remain in the bottom five at 21st
and 20th
respectively.
The biggest improvement since 2002 came from Nissan, which jumped nine places to 8th in the list of 23 manufacturers analysed. The leap is good news for workers at the firm’s Sunderland plant who are responsible for production of the Micra, Almera and Primera models.
Japan’s four leading manufacturers all make it into the Top Ten, whereas Germany’s Mercedes (11th
), Volkswagen (13th
), BMW (16th
) and Audi (18th
) all slip down the table based on claims handled by Warranty Direct.
At the other end of the table, Jeep, with an average repair bill of £587.92 in 2003 and 41 claims per 100 policies held, remains the worst performer due to failures on air-conditioning units and rear suspension and axle problems.
Subaru’s dramatic fall of eleven places to 22nd
in the table may surprise a few observers. However, costly repairs to the Impreza’s engine and transmission units pushed the average bill to nearly £1,040 making it the most expensive model repaired in the year so far.
Land Rover and Alfa Romeo remain in the bottom five at 21st
and 20th
respectively.
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