Honda has retained its status as the most reliable used car manufacturer in the UK for the ninth consecutive year, research suggests.

The Japanese manufacturer topped the What Car? annual survey of 37 manufacturers, which analyses 50,000 live Warranty Direct policies on three to eight-year old vehicles.

Once again, Japanese and South Korean manufacturers dominated the annual study of the most reliable brands, with Suzuki and Toyota claiming second and third place.

Encouragingly for other manufacturers however, Chevrolet, Ford, Skoda, Peugeot and Fiat also fought their way into the top 10.  

At the opposite end of the scale, luxury and prestige marques Bentley and Porsche are the most likely to break down.

What Car? editor Jim Holder said: “Honda’s success in the reliability index is chiefly down to low failure rates. However, when things do go wrong, the cars are also relatively cheap to fix.

“Reliability is always one of the key attributes buyers look for when considering a used car purchase, so manufacturers that consistently demonstrate durability will always do well with the consumer.”

Warranty Direct’s reliability index analysed by What Car? experts, calculates each vehicle’s reliability using a complex formula that takes into account its failure rate, age, mileage and cost of repair. The lower the RI number, the more trustworthy the car. 

Warranty Direct managing director, David Gerrans, said: “Household budgets continue to be stretched further in the current economic climate; the last thing people need is a car that costs them money they don’t have in unwanted bills.

“It is imperative that consumers research their intended purchases thoroughly before taking the plunge. Not taking the time to look over something as easy to use as our Reliability Index could mean making the wrong choice and inadvertently landing yourself with a car that causes you nothing but hassle and a financial headache.” 

Overall, the most reliable models are the Honda Jazz and Mitsubishi Lancer, both of which also carry reasonable average repair costs. The least reliable model, the Audi RS6, is also the most costly to fix, with an eye-watering average repair bill of £1003.25

Electrical faults are the most common across all cars, acting as the catalyst which sends almost a quarter (22.34%) of vehicles to the garage. Axle and suspension faults are also common, affecting 22% of cars. Air conditioning is the cause of least concern to motorists, being reported by a minimal 3% of owners.

Reliability rating of all manufacturers

Position	Make	Ave Mileage	RI	Average Cost (£)	Highest Cost (£)
1	Honda	50,892.73	41	335.87	2,913.40
2	Suzuki	39,280.27	48	256.04	1,684.84
3	Toyota	50,641.03	66	378.22	5,020.00
4=	Chevrolet	35,956.80	82	258.15	2,118.90
4=	Mazda	47,649.48	82	398.42	4,546.94
6	Ford	53,214.21	85	289.74	8,014.33
7	Lexus	53,305.39	89	415.90	5,699.94
8	Skoda	50,675.24	90	292.84	3,854.76
9=	Hyundai	53,281.01	94	318.54	4,637.66
9=	Nissan	48,738.90	94	367.19	20,747.88
9=	Subaru	56,991.20	94	456.75	3,933.45
12=	Daewoo	40,148.60	97	263.82	1,170.37
12=	Peugeot	49,787.60	97	284.62	4,975.00
14	Fiat	43,219.17	98	268.35	2,520.90
15	Citroën	48,805.54	105	311.58	4,026.40
16	Smart	37,672.35	108	291.75	2,544.00
17	Mitsubishi	52,882.69	109	456.29	4,832.59
18	Kia	49,608.72	114	390.01	4,056.00
19	Vauxhall	52,546.81	123	310.07	15,000.00
20	SEAT	51,710.06	125	299.11	5,993.08
21	Renault	48,537.36	130	262.42	4,711.75
22	Mini	44,017.29	136	380.74	4,721.72
23	Volkswagen	54,982.88	137	345.94	5,657.38
24	Rover	44,873.26	150	362.73	3,217.40
25	Volvo	60,664.66	151	377.35	5,604.10
26	Saab	56,991.42	158	327.4	8,862.35
27	Land Rover	67,011.84	162	428.47	15,350.00
28=	BMW	58,174.77	180	447.18	35,000.00
28=	MG	38,370.18	180	401.96	3,901.46
30	Jaguar	50,879.61	185	419.57	9,347.00
31	SsangYong	49,884.41	211	431.55	2661.39
32	Mercedes-Benz	54,341.10	215	452.7	16,115.38
33	Chrysler	52,454.94	221	399.47	3,747.22
34	Audi	59,054.52	223	515.41	15,438.42
35	Jeep	52,582.81	227	439.89	3,694.00
36	Porsche	41,829.73	380	784.71	10,348.00
37	Bentley	38,113.59	637	678.5	8406.65