UK Study: Japanese Cars Win The Reliability Race

Far East companies have dominated a poll of the top 10 most reliable car manufacturers - with seven of them from Japan alone.

The survey by What Car? magazine and insurance company Warranty Direct put Honda at the top of the rankings for the fifth year running.

Subaru came second with Mitsubishi and Lexus taking third and fourth place, respectively.

The only manufacturers not from the Far East were Skoda coming eighth, and Mini in tenth.

The study looked at used cars from 32 different companies and the type of faults drivers have complained about.

Land Rover came in last place with 53% of its cars suffering a fault, and Alfa Romeo and Renault came 31st and 30th, respectively.

However, the Japanese cars were not completely flawless.

Hondas were found to suffer the highest percentage of air conditioning issues with more than 10% of vehicles affected.

Top 10 Most Reliable Carmakers
1. Honda
2. Subaru
3. Mitsubishi
4. Lexus
5. Toyota
6. Mazda
7. Nissan
8. Skoda
9. Kia
10. Mini

Subarus suffer the highest failure rate for axle and suspension issues (50%) and generate more brake problems than any other make, with just under 17% of cars reporting a problem.

Editor in chief of What Car?, Steve Fowler told Sky News Online why Western companies found themselves lower in the list: "There's no coincidence that cars built in older factories don't fare so well as opposed to those built in Japan's new factories."

However, four of the top 10 car manufacturers have plants in the UK, including Toyota and Honda, and Mr Fowler said it is "strong proof that we know how to make good cars here".

The most expensive make to repair is Porsche, at an average cost of £717.36, while the car with the lowest average repair costs is Renault, at £226.54.

On Thursday Toyota revealed it may have to recall 3,700 cars in the UK after the discovery of an engine fault.

In another blow for the manufacturer, bosses said the vehicles were among 270,000 cars worldwide which could potentially stall while moving.

Source;
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/Japanese-Cars-Prove-To-Be-The-Most-Reliable-Car-Manufacturers-In-A-Survey-By-What-Car-Magazine/Article/201007115658316?lpos=Business_First_Buisness_Article_Teaser_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15658316_Japanese_Cars_Prove_To_Be_The_Most_Reliable_Car_Manufacturers_In_A_Survey_By_What_Car_Magazine