How reliable is your car? - Land Rover to Mini

LAND ROVER 26th
2005 position 30th
Claims per 100 vehicles 48.1
Average age 4.9 years
Average mileage 53,685
Average repair cost £441
Average repair time3.4 hours

Problem areas
Land Rover has remained at the bottom of the table this year, with 48% of its cars needing attention. As with other 4x4s, the Land Rovers in our survey are most likely to suffer axle and suspension issues - 33% of vehicles are affected. Engine faults concern 21% of its cars, with the older Freelander the worst hit.

On top of that, faults with the electrical, cooling and heating systems all contributed to the company's result. The average cost of repair was also high, and the '95-'02 Range Rover produced the biggest bill at £4195.

Best model Discovery ('89-'98)
Worst model Freelander ('97-'00)

Verdict *
Last place for Land Rover, but its cars generally covered higher miles than most. Newer designs perform better.

LEXUS 2nd
2005 position 5th
Claims per 100 vehicles 10.7
Average age 4.5 years
Average mileage 55,864
Average repair cost £213
Average repair time2.67 hours

Problem areas
Lexus vehicles suffer few faults, which puts the marque in second place in our manufacturers' league table and makes the IS the third most reliable individual car.

On the rare occasion when there's a problem, it's usually due to the suspension, which is responsible for 80% of claims. The cooling and heating system and electrical issues are responsible for a fairly small number of claims. Lexus owners also tend to do more miles: the range has an average mileage of 55,800. Interestingly, Lexus also has one of the lowest maximum claim figures at £323.

Best model IS ('99-'06)
Worst model na

Verdict *****
Lexus has improved on last year's fine result. When things do go wrong, the bills aren't massive, either.

MERCEDES-BENZ 11th
2005 position 10th
Claims per 100 vehicles 30.3
Average age 4.9 years
Average mileage 52,864
Average repair cost £413
Average repair time3.2 hours

Problem areas
The A-Class's suspension has been problematic. More than a third of '98-'05 A-Class models needed repair work, and almost half of those were due to suspension woes.

Electrical glitches accounted for nearly a third of SLK repair work. More than 20% of '97-'02 CLKs needed repairs; 28% of those had work done on the suspension, 23% on electricals and 27% on the fuel system.

If your Merc goes wrong, it's not cheap: you could be charged £115 per hour for a repair that lasts more than three hours on average.

Best model SLK ('96-'04)
Worst model A-Class ('98-'05)

Verdict ***
A mixed bag: the SLK was 23rd overall, while the A-Class came 73rd. Electrical gremlins are common to every Mercedes model, however.

MG 13th
2005 position 22nd
Claims per 100 vehicles 31.0
Average age 3 years
Average mileage 26,874
Average repair cost £375
Average repair time3.8 hours

Problem areas
Don't expect hassle-free electrical systems on the ZR: about 80% of those needing repair required fixes on their electrics. The engine on the TF and MGF hasn't been bulletproof, either - around a third that visited workshops had engine problems.

Labour rates are comparatively cheap at an average £45 an hour; you can expect problematic MGs to be in the workshop for just under four hours.

Best model MG TF ('02-'05)
Worst model MGF ('95-'02)

Verdict ***
The TF put in a reasonable showing, finishing 19th, but the F didn't cover itself in glory: it finished 84th.

MINI 3rd
2005 position na
Claims per 100 vehicles 15.8
Average age 3.4 years
Average mileage 29,283
Average repair cost £384
Average repair time2.9 hours

Problem areas
Not much goes wrong with Minis, although their average mileage and the average age are both second (lowest in the whole survey). If they have an Achilles heel, it's the electrics - almost 40% of the One models that needed repairs had work on this particular area.

The heating and cooling systems are also a little vulnerable, as are axles and suspensions. Average hourly labour rates are reasonable at £78 and the average time spent in the workshop is just under three hours.

Best model Mini One ('01-'06)
Worst model na

Verdict *****
Mini is high up the league table, but bear in mind that cars have only just moved out of the manufacturer warranty period so won't have made many claims to Warranty Direct yet.

Click here for a manufacturers' reliability table.