FIAT has retained its top spot as the cheapest make of car to repair following an accident, according to the latest VELO Fleet Insurance Report. The Italian marque has led the manufacturer league table since the reports started more than a year ago, and its average cost per repair of £412 over the last quarter beat the closest competition by £26.

The figures are drawn from data on almost 30,000 insurance incidents, experienced by VELO's 110,000 strong accident management fleet. The analysis reveals marked differences in repair bills, although the average repair costs of mainstream fleet manufacturers remain relatively close, with Ford the best of the bunch at £466, followed by Peugeot on £474, Volkswagen on £476, Vauxhall on £516 and Rover slipping behind on £549.

Overall, the differential between cheapest and most expensive has narrowed to £343 in the quarter leading to July 1997, compared to £362 for the same period last year. On an individual basis German and Japanese marques made the most significant improvement. Nissan, for example, jumped five places to seventh spot after its average repair costs tumbled from £605 to £537 over the course of the year.