REPAIR costs of mainstream fleet cars differ by more than £500, according to nationwide accident repair management organisation the Fleet Accident Repair Group. FARG analysed the average repair costs in 40,000 different cases over the past three years and found some cars were almost twice as expensive as others to repair.

The figures make essential reading for fleet operators trying to establish wholelife cost forecasts for their vehicles, since repair charges weigh heavily in fleet budgets, either through insurance premiums or straight off the bottom line for self-insured fleets. FARG calculated the average repair bill for an Audi A4 was £550.16, compared to £708.57 for a Ford Mondeo, £746.19 for a Vauxhall Vectra, £893.19 for a Rover 400, £854.19 for a BMW 3 Series, and £1,069.59 for a Toyota Carina. Overall, Ford cars were the cheapest make to repair, posting average repair costs of £738.10, compared to £767.62 for Vauxhall, £861.49 for Rover, £864.05 for BMW and £997.71 for Toyota.

FARG's average repair costs are well above those featured in VELO's Fleet Insurance Report, which placed Land Rover as the cheapest make to repair with an average bill of £418, followed by £476 for Ford, £520 for Vauxhall, £558 for Rover, £625 for BMW and £692 for Toyota. The difference is explained by VELO's inclusion of windscreen repairs and replacements which are low cost operations unlikely to be undertaken by FARG's bodyshop members, and by VELO's exclusion of replacement car hire charges.