Europe most (and least) reliable cars

British and French brands produce Europe’s most reliable cars, according to the latest research.

Vauxhall topped the Warranty Direct’s Reliability Index table with its tiny Agila – the most reliable European-badged car on the road.

French manufacturers, Peugeot and Citroen completed the top three, with their similarly small 107 and C1 superminis.

Swedish, Spanish, German and Czech brands also won places in the top 10 reliability rankings with Volvo, SEAT, Volkswagen, Smart and Skoda.

Vauxhall’s Agila, which is now out of production, is most likely to incur issues with its axle and suspension, accounting for an average of 30% of its faults.

The cooling and heating system is responsible for 44% of the Peugeot 107’s downtime, while most of the Citroen C1’s issues derive from its electrics.

The vehicles analysed for the Reliability Index were an average of five years old with mileages of around 50,000.

Top 10 most reliable European cars (inc common faults)

1. Vauxhall Agila – Axle & Suspension
2. Peugeot 107 – Cooling & Heating System
3. Citroen C1 – Electrical
4. Volvo S40 – Axle & Suspension
5. Peugeot 3008 – Electrical
6. SEAT Ibiza – Axle & Suspension
7. Volkswagen Lupo – Electrical
8. Skoda Fabia – Electrical
9. Citroen Berlingo Multispace – Electrical
10. Smart Fortwo – Engine

At the other end of the scale, the Audi RS6 is Europe’s most unreliable vehicle, according to Warranty Direct, with data indicating it will break down at least once a year.

Surprisingly, four out of the five most unreliable models are produced by German manufacturers.

Five least reliable European cars (inc common faults)

1. Audi RS6 – Axle & Suspension
2. BMW M5 – Electrical
3. Porsche 911 – Electrical
4. Bentley Continental GT – Electrical
5. Mercedes-Benz CL – Axle & Suspension

Warranty Direct’s Reliability Index score is calculated using a combination of vehicle criteria from a database of more than 50,000 live policies, taking into account frequency of failure, cost of repair, duration of repairs, average age and mileage.