Japanese cars 'best for second-hand reliability'

Motorists seeking the greatest reliability in a second-hand car should buy Japanese models, according to a new survey.

Japanese vehicles took four of the top five places in a used car reliability survey table compiled by What Car? magazine.

Best of the European brands was Mercedes-Benz, which was rated second in the list.

Makes such as Rover, Vauxhall and Land Rover finished in the bottom half of the 22-strong table.

The table, which was also compiled by the Warranty Direct company, showed how many times cars needed attention through warranty claims.

Mazda topped the list with just 17 claims per 100 vehicles, with Toyota third, Honda fourth and Mitsubishi fifth.

Alfa Romeo was 22nd - and last - in the table with 64 claims per 100 vehicles. Land Rover was 21st with 53, and Citroen 20th with 50.

‘‘It’s no surprise to see a Japanese car-maker top a reliability report, but for Japanese cars to dominate so convincingly was something of a shock,’’ said What Car? editor Steve Fowler.

The survey also revealed that Fiats were the least expensive cars to put right, followed by Ford, Vauxhall and Volkswagen.

The top 10 most-reliable used cars were:

1. Mazda

2. Mercedes-Benz

3. Toyota

4. Honda

5. Mitsubishi

6. Volvo

7. Nissan

8. Fiat

9. Audi

10. Ford.