Warranty specialist, MB&G has drawn on its comprehensive database of warranty claims to compile an informed list of car brands that have generated the fewest claims over the past year, giving an indication of car brand reliability.

Japanese and Korean brands dominated the list, with Honda taking top spot.

The top ten brands on MB&G’s list with the least warranty claims were: 1 Honda,2 Lexus, 3 Mitsubishi, 4 Toyota, 5 Suzuki, 6 Kia, 7 Hyundai, 8 Subaru, 9 Mazda, 10 Nissan.

It is no coincidence that the top ten most reliable cars are Japanese and Korean manufactured, with many cars including Toyota, Honda and Nissan manufactured in the UK, as they have had a reputation for reliability for many years, which is demonstrated by these results.

With more and more car owners, including companies, extending their cars’ life into their fourth, fifth and sixth years, many drivers are for the first time coming to terms with the costs associated with running an older car.

“Modern day cars are reliable, but if something starts to go wrong, it’s more likely to be in the fourth or fifth years, or when the mileage reaches 70-100,000 miles,” explained Kevin Pearce, a director of MB&G.

“Cars are packed full of electronic equipment that control everything from the engine management system to the automatic gearbox and a small software glitch can often create issues, in addition to the other components that can fail simply through wear and tear,” he added. “Many components are now not repaired as they used to be, but simply replaced, this resulting in the average claim value starting to increase.

“Our survey is only looking at frequency of claims and not the average value of the claim, which can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. The average claim value is affected by labour rates and parts prices and can also vary by region.”

The average age and mileage of cars being handled by MB&G is increasing, but the corporate/SME market generally resists extending warranties beyond the one provided by the manufacturer.

“We administer tens of thousands of warranties each year and generally we are seeing the average age of those cars increasing quite dramatically, mirroring the extended ownership cycle. Currently we are seeing more drivers considering buying a warranty for extra peace of mind, some for the very first time, but the sector which is still to manage the risks associated with many older cars, is the corporate sector.

“Many company cars are being kept for a fourth and fifth year, and any component issues or failures are simply being funded through their annual maintenance budget. By covering their higher mileage, older cars or higher value cars with a warranty, fleets could really manage their risk more efficiently and it enables them to budget a finite cost,” added Pearce.