Astra H Most Reliable 3-6 Year Old Ex-Fleet Car

The Ford Focus might have the biggest sales figures in the UK, but Vauxhall’s Astra has been revealed as the most reliable 3-6 year old ex-fleet car on the road, according to Warranty Direct.

The automotive warranty specialist analysed the reliability of 3-6 year old examples of the 10 most popular ex-fleet vehicles* in Britain from 2009, using data amassed during as much as three years of a vehicle’s life.

Vauxhall’s Astra emerged as the most dependable of the bunch, with only 11% suffering a failure once a year on average, while the Fiesta was the cheapest fleet car to repair.

FLEET VEHICLES BY RATE OF FAILURE

BMW’s fleet sector staple, the 3-Series, is second in the table, but pricey with an average repair cost of £316.19.  The Astra’s hatchback stablemate, the Corsa, is the most expensive to fix, thanks to recurring engine and electrical problems.

Even though Warranty Direct’s data doesn’t include cars younger than three years’ old – therefore omitting Peugeot’s 207 and 308, and the Vauxhall Insignia – Peugeot’s strong showing is judged by the comprehensive reliability data for the 206 and 307, predecessors to the 207 and 308 respectively. 

RATE OF FAILURE BY MANUFACTURER

“As firms look to shave money from their fleet operations, knowing which vehicles are likely to deliver reliability and are quick and cheap to repair is vital,” says Duncan McClure Fisher, managing director of Warranty Direct. “Time is money, and the last thing you want is your cars sidelined with mechanical problems especially while fleet cars are being kept on the books for longer.”

One in 12 VW Golfs will suffer either cooling and heating, or electrical system failures, and while the Astra rarely breaks down, when it does its electrics are often to blame, causing 42% of its failures.

Meanwhile, ‘Mondeo man’ reported an alarming number of engine and electrical problems, with 11% recording faults with those aspects of the vehicle alone in an average year.

FLEET CARS BY REGISTRATION NUMBERS IN 2009

Data compiled using Warranty Direct statistics on 3-6 year old cars from its database of 50,000 UK policies.

For more information or to find out how your car fares, visit www.reliabilityindex.co.uk.

* Data from SMMT – biggest selling fleet vehicles 2009

** 206, 307 and Vectra data used as indication of performance of newer models only