The Mitsubishi Lancer has been named as the most reliable car of the last 15 years by Warranty Direct. Data on breakdowns and repair costs has been complied over 200,000 live and historic warranty policies in the company's 15-year history. The information is expressed as a numeric 'reliability index' - the lower the better.
With a reliability index of six the 2005-2008 Mitsubishi Lancer topped the table, beating the Vauxhall Agila and Suzuki Alto. Although more expensive to repair than the Vauxhall the Mitsubishi's lower incidences of breakdown helped it reach the top spot. In any given 12-month period fewer than one-in-ten Lancers suffered a breakdown; failures were usually due to axle and suspension faults.
Japanese cars feature prominently, accounting for seven of the top ten, including two cars each from Toyota and Honda. Small hatchbacks also fare well; four superminis, including Toyota's Aygo and Yaris, plus the Honda Jazz, are in the top ten.
The worst cars have also been named; expensive cars fare badly mainly because of their high repair costs. Bottom place goes to the 2002-2011 Audi RS6, which has a reliability index of 1,282. Porsche's 996-generation 911 has a low incidence of breakdown but with an average cost of £847.52 it is the eighth worst car evaluated.
Mercedes-Benz is the only company to feature in both lists. The SL, C-Class and CL take third through fifth places as the least reliable cars. But the current E-Class is one of the most dependable.
John Lambert - 26 Nov 2012