THE Vauxhall Vectra is the cheapest upper medium sector car to repair after a crash, according to a survey by VELO Motor Accident Management. The survey of nine leading upper medium fleet cars reveals the average cost of repair of the vehicles following a 'moving' incident varies by more than £300.

Of the cars surveyed the Vectra has the lowest average cost of repair at just over £600 per incident, closely followed by the Ford Mondeo. There is then more than a £100 average repair cost increase to the Nissan Primera, Peugeot 405 and Rover 600 with the Toyota Carina ranked last at £950 per incident.

Publication of the league table comes ahead of results, due in the summer, of upper medium crash testing by the Transport Research Laboratory. VELO's figures have been compiled from insurance claims relating to almost 4,000 upper medium cars.

Off-roaders and MPVs have the lowest average repair costs following a crash - just over £600 each. VELO believes the elevated driving position makes these vehicles safer to drive.