Looking For a Reliable Car? Try Japanese!

Japanese vehicle manufacturers have long been associated with high build quality and overall reliability and, recent statistics reveal that, these assumptions are very well founded.

Warranty Direct have assembled an extensive reliability index- gleaned from data compiled on over 50,000 cars- based on a variety of areas from average cost of repair, time the car is off the road to the average age of the car and the mileage.

We stock, or can source, Lancers (similar to the above)

The Mitsubishi Lancer took equal 1st place by being both the most reliable car on the road and also the cheapest to repair in the unlikely event anything does go wrong (with an average repair bill of a mere £95.43!). An outstanding achievement for a manufacturer when you consider that Mitsubishi holds less than 1% of the market share in the UK.

And it isn't only the Lancer praised for its reliability- the Reliability Index top 10 features no fewer than eight vehicles that are built by, or in conjunction with, Japanese manufacturers. Honda boasts two vehicles in the top 10- the Jazz sits squarely at number 6 along with the HR-V in equal 9th place.

Just one of the ultra reliable Honda Jazz' we have in
stock at the time of writing.

The index also, rather helpfully, makes suggestions as to what is most likely to go wrong with the vehicles in the top 10. The Vauxhall Agila (essentially a re-badged Suzuki Wagon R) has been known to have fuel system issues, Suzuki Alto (5th most reliable) and Toyota Aygo (joint 7th) owners should watch for heater problems and those with Mazda MX-5's, the only convertible in the top 10, should be wary of air conditioning issues.

A resounding theme stands out in the research- the less the car has, the less can go wrong with it and- in the event any issues do crop up- simplicity also eases repair costs. Reliability has, and likely always will be, a key concern of consumers when looking to buy a vehicle. It goes without saying that most people have neither the time nor money to spend at a garage unnecessarily and, while regular servicing and routine maintenance go a very long way, buying a reliable vehicle in the first place should be of paramount importance.

With all this in mind, there really is only one conclusion you can draw: if you are looking for a reliable vehicle- whether new or used- Japanese might well be the way forward.