Japanese brands top used car reliability survey

Mazda is the most reliable used car make in Britain, according to warranty provider Warranty Direct.

The Ford family brand averaged 17 warranty claims for every 100 vehicles compared with 64 in 100 for Alfa Romeo, results of the 2001 Used Car Reliability Survey show.

Published in the July issue of What Car? magazine, the report reveals that Japanese marques took four of the top five spots, with Mercedes-Benz flying the reliability flag for Europe in second place out of the UK's 22 biggest selling used car brands.

The average age of the 20,000 cars on Warranty Direct's books surveyed for frequency of and costs per claim was just over four years and with about 45,000 miles on the clock. No grey imports were included.

Eighth-placed Fiat was the least expensive make to put right with a typical cost per claim of £191. Ford was next at £222, and Vauxhall and Volkswagen shared third place with an average cost of £236.

Lexus, which did not make a showing in the Warranty Direct listings, topped the 2001 UK Car Customer Satisfaction Study published in April. The LS400, GS300 and IS200 were all in the top 10 of the annual survey conducted by JD Power and Associates in association with BBC Top Gear.

This year's JD Power report was based on returns of 28,748 drivers across 38 brands and 182 models and taking into account vehicle quality and reliability, ownership costs, service satisfaction and vehicle appeal. Subaru had been the poll winner in the previous two years.

What Car?/Warranty Direct 2001 Used Car Reliability Table: