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German cars lose out in reliability survey
A recent survey has found that German cars, including Audi, BMW and VW, are among the worst when it comes to engine failure.
German cars lose out in reliability survey
German brands, including Volkswagen, didn't perform well in the study by Warranty Direct
Chris Knapman By Chris Knapman 6:30AM GMT 22 Jan 2013
German cars are not as reliable as their reputation suggests. That's according to one warranty provider, which has studied its database to reveal the makes of cars most and least likely to have engine problems.
Warranty Direct, which with 50,000 policies on its books is the UK's leading supplier of direct consumer warranties, claims that Audis, BMWs and Volkswagens have some of the least reliable engines available.
Indeed, among the cars owned by its policy holders, the only engines to have failed more than Audis were those from the now defunct MG Group. In total 1 in 13 of MG Rover motors failed in the past year, and problems presented themselves in 1 in every 27 Audi engines. Mini was the third least reliable with a failure rate of 1 in 40, while BMW finished seventh (1 in 45) and Volkswagen ninth (1 in 52).
The most reliable engines came from Honda, with a failure rate of just 1 in 344, with Toyota in second (1 in 171) and, maintaining some honour for the German brands, Mercedes in third (1 in 119).
The company also pointed out the high cost of repair that can be associated with engine problems. In its highest claim, which was for a Range Rover Vogue, an engine failure cost £12,998.46.
Duncan McClure Fisher, Warranty Direct Managing Director, said: "Engine failures are the biggest fear for any motorist as they're the ones that can lead to the most astronomical costs because of the parts and hours or labour required to fix them. The number of failures may be low compared to areas such as axle and suspension damage but engine repairs almost always result in costs reaching the thousands for motorists who aren't covered by a warranty."
Engine reliability - top 10 brands according to Warranty Direct
1. Honda (failure rate: 1 in 344)
2. Toyota (failure rate: 1 in 171)
3. Mercedes-Benz (failure rate: 1 in 119)
4. Volvo (failure rate: 1 in 111)
5. Jaguar (failure rate: 1 in 103)
6. Lexus (failure rate: 1 in 101)
7. Fiat (failure rate: 1 in 85)
8. Ford (failure rate: 1 in 80)
9. Nissan (failure rate: 1 in 76)
10. Land Rover (failure rate: 1 in 72)
Engine reliability - bottom 10 brands according to Warranty Direct
1. MG Rover (failure rate: 1 in 13)
2. Audi (failure rate: 1 in 27)
3. Mini (failure rate: 1 in 40)
4. Saab (failure rate: 1 in 40)
5. Vauxhall (failure rate: 1 in 41)
6. Peugeot (failure rate: 1 in 44)
7. BMW (failure rate: 1 in 45)
8. Renault (failure rate: 1 in 46)
9. Volkswagen (failure rate: 1 in 52)
10. Mitsubishi (failure rate: 1 in 59)
A recent survey has found that German cars, including Audi, BMW and VW, are among the worst when it comes to engine failure.
German cars lose out in reliability survey
German brands, including Volkswagen, didn't perform well in the study by Warranty Direct
Chris Knapman By Chris Knapman 6:30AM GMT 22 Jan 2013
German cars are not as reliable as their reputation suggests. That's according to one warranty provider, which has studied its database to reveal the makes of cars most and least likely to have engine problems.
Warranty Direct, which with 50,000 policies on its books is the UK's leading supplier of direct consumer warranties, claims that Audis, BMWs and Volkswagens have some of the least reliable engines available.
Indeed, among the cars owned by its policy holders, the only engines to have failed more than Audis were those from the now defunct MG Group. In total 1 in 13 of MG Rover motors failed in the past year, and problems presented themselves in 1 in every 27 Audi engines. Mini was the third least reliable with a failure rate of 1 in 40, while BMW finished seventh (1 in 45) and Volkswagen ninth (1 in 52).
The most reliable engines came from Honda, with a failure rate of just 1 in 344, with Toyota in second (1 in 171) and, maintaining some honour for the German brands, Mercedes in third (1 in 119).
The company also pointed out the high cost of repair that can be associated with engine problems. In its highest claim, which was for a Range Rover Vogue, an engine failure cost £12,998.46.
Duncan McClure Fisher, Warranty Direct Managing Director, said: "Engine failures are the biggest fear for any motorist as they're the ones that can lead to the most astronomical costs because of the parts and hours or labour required to fix them. The number of failures may be low compared to areas such as axle and suspension damage but engine repairs almost always result in costs reaching the thousands for motorists who aren't covered by a warranty."
Engine reliability - top 10 brands according to Warranty Direct
1. Honda (failure rate: 1 in 344)
2. Toyota (failure rate: 1 in 171)
3. Mercedes-Benz (failure rate: 1 in 119)
4. Volvo (failure rate: 1 in 111)
5. Jaguar (failure rate: 1 in 103)
6. Lexus (failure rate: 1 in 101)
7. Fiat (failure rate: 1 in 85)
8. Ford (failure rate: 1 in 80)
9. Nissan (failure rate: 1 in 76)
10. Land Rover (failure rate: 1 in 72)
Engine reliability - bottom 10 brands according to Warranty Direct
1. MG Rover (failure rate: 1 in 13)
2. Audi (failure rate: 1 in 27)
3. Mini (failure rate: 1 in 40)
4. Saab (failure rate: 1 in 40)
5. Vauxhall (failure rate: 1 in 41)
6. Peugeot (failure rate: 1 in 44)
7. BMW (failure rate: 1 in 45)
8. Renault (failure rate: 1 in 46)
9. Volkswagen (failure rate: 1 in 52)
10. Mitsubishi (failure rate: 1 in 59)
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