Garages issued £1.6bn worth of repair bills last year with the average invoice ranging from £86.49 to £1,623, according to new research. The Ford Ka was the cheapest car to repair with the average bill costing £86.49 while engine failure on the Subaru Impreza pushed its average bill to £1,623.

A total of 36% of Impreza bills were more than £1,000 with the largest repair claim on the vehicle costing £4,500. The research was produced by independent warranty provider Warranty Direct after analysing claims on cars aged between three and 10 years old.

By market segment, super-minis cost £197, less than half the £414 faced by 4x4 owners. Small family models cost £221, executive models £335, and MPVs £325.80. “Repair bills vary but the bigger the c ar and the more complicated the electronic wizardry the more expensive it is likely to be to put things right,” says Duncan McClure Fisher of Warranty Direct.