SUBARU has topped a new list of the most reliable cars on UK roads, proving by far the least likely to break down.
The Japanese purveyors of the Impreza, Forester, Outback and BRZ trounced the competition – with nearest rival Honda proving almost four times more likely to need a repair.
But it was bad news for Alfa Romeo and Land Rover owners – as the manufacturers slumped to the back of the reliability race.
The stats were compiled by MotorEasy, the UK’s fastest growing motoring association.
They analysed 47,000 policies over a period of two and half years, and involving 33 manufacturers, to asses the number of repairs requested, as well as the cost of those fixes.
Subaru hit the No.1 spot – with just 3 in every 100 vehicles needing a claim-worthy repair in an average 12 month period.
Subaru cars were also only marginally more expensive to fix than a Nissan, too, with the average repair cost weighing-in at £420.
But Alfa Romeo was the brand most likely to break down – with 43 out of every 100 cars developing a fault each year – at an average cost of £215.
And Land Rover not only proved expensive to remedy – with average repair costs cheaper than only Porsche and Lexus – but they were also second from bottom in the chart.
Almost a third of Land Rover owners – 32 per cent – experience a fault each year, putting the British firm on a par with Chevrolet in the break-down stakes.
Duncan McClure Fisher, Founder and CEO of MotorEasy said: “Land Rover is an iconic British brand, but our rankings show it has some work to do on the reliability front – they keep telling us their latest cars are more reliable but our stats show that if you own a Land Rover you must have warranty protection.”
The vehicles covered were between 3 and 15 years old and the data covered more than 40,000 years’ worth of warranty data overall.
The figures also confirmed and busted some age-old motoring beliefs.
Alfa Romeo was near the bottom of the charts, reinforcing the brand’s stereotype for frequent – but affordable – repairs.
But manufacturers traditionally viewed as unreliable, such as Fiat and Renault, proved more robust than many of their premium peers.
BMW and Audi were rooted in the bottom half the table – deemed more likely to need fixing than a Renault.
McClure Fisher added: “Japanese cars remain as reliable as ever, with the likes of Subaru, Toyota, and Honda topping the charts.
“Honda’s decision to close its Swindon plant is especially sad, considering the high-quality vehicles the manufacturer builds here in the UK.
“It’s also concerning to see premium brands like Jaguar Land Rover, Audi and BMW at the bottom – suggesting their product quality may be slipping.
“If they are to hold on to their premium image in the future, this needs to be addressed.”
The average repair costs across all manufacturers was found at £314.83, with premium brands costing the most on average to fix.
OVERALL RELIABILITY SCORE (Out of 5, based on repair incidence and cost of repair)
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SUBARU 4.8
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HONDA 4.6
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SMART 4.6
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SUZUKI 4.6
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FIAT 4.4
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SKODA 4.4
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TOYOTA 4.3
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RENAULT 4.2
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JEEP 4.2
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KIA 4.1
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MITSUBISHI 4.1
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CITROEN 4.1
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FORD 4.1
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MINI 4.1
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NISSAN 4.1
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PEUGEOT 4.1
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LEXUS 4.0
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MERCEDES 4.0
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MAZDA 4.0
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PORSCHE 4.0
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HYUNDAI 4.0
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VOLKSWAGEN 3.9
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SAAB 3.9
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SEAT 3.9
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VOLVO 3.9
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JAGUAR 3.9
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CHRYSLER 3.8
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VAUXHALL 3.8
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AUDI 3.6
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BMW 3.6
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ALFA ROMEO 3.5
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CHEVROLET 3.5
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LAND ROVER 2.5
MANUFACTURERS, LISTED FROM BEST TO WORST, AS TO HOW LIKELY THEY ARE TO BREAK DOWN:
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Subaru
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Honda
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Lexus
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Porsche
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Smart
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Fiat
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Suzuki
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Toyota
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Nissan
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Skoda
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Mitsubishi
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Ford
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Jeep
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Kia
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Mercedes
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Mazda
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Seat
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Hyundai
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Renault
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Volkswagen
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Saab
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Audi
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Citroen
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Mini
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Peugeot
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Jaguar
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BMW
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Volvo
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Chrysler
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Vauxhall
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Chevrolet
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Land Rover
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Alfa Romeo