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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
 





 


Vehicle


Incidence rate


Average repair cost




1


Vauxhall Astra


11%


£247.49




2


BMW 3-Series


13%


£316.19




3


Ford Fiesta


19%


£187.36




4


VW Golf


20%


£287.43




4


Ford Focus


20%


£306.50




6


Peugeot 206**


23%**


£250.84**




7


Peugeot 307**


25%**


£239.08**




7


Vauxhall Corsa


25%


£346.18




9


Ford Mondeo


28%


£264.44




10


Vauxhall Vectra**


43%**


£271.26**





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





 


Manufacturer


Average incidence rate




1


BMW


24.5%




2


Ford


25.1%




3


VW


26.2%




4


Peugeot


27.0%




5


Vauxhall


27.2%





“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
 





 


Vehicle


Registrations




1


Ford Focus


68,916




2


Ford Fiesta


49,121




3


Vauxhall Astra


45,876




4


Vauxhall Corsa


42,901




5


VW Golf


32,381




6


Ford Mondeo


27,389




7


Vauxhall Insignia


24,211




8


Peugeot 207


21,496




9


BMW 3-Series


21,007




10


Peugeot 308


19,702





 
Data compiled u

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Astra H Most Reliable 3-6 Year Old Ex-Fleet Car was originally published by Honestjohn News Feed. Read the full story by clicking here.