The BMW 3 Series is the most reliable company car in the UK according to a survey of the country’s 50 largest contract hire companies carried out by Fleet News for the annual FN50 report.

Between them, these companies manage some 1.5 million cars and vans, making this the biggest vehicle reliability survey in the country.

“We’re extremely proud to see the BMW 3 Series named the most reliable company car,” said BMW UK managing director Tim Abbott.

“The FN50 reliability survey is based on cold, hard facts, not opinion or interpretation so we are delighted that the facts speak for themselves. Companies rely on having extremely accurate information on the operational performance of the cars they lease, so when they say your car is the most reliable, it is definitive.”
The survey also found Honda to have the best reliability record as a car manufacturer.

"Being named the FN50 most reliable manufacturer accolade is a huge boost for Honda in the corporate market. What makes it so important is the survey size - it's great to know that out of over one million drivers, the Honda brand comes out on top,” said Graham Avent, manager corporate operations at Honda UK. “The Civic's top ten placing is also a great endorsement for our plant in Swindon that makes 85% of the cars we sell in the UK. Honda has proven that British manufacturing continues to produce class-leading product for the fleet market."
The Honda Accord takes second place behind the BMW 3 Series, followed by the Audi A4.
German and Japanese brands dominate the top 10 cars, although three of the Japanese brand cars that feature are built in the UK.

The Nissan Qashqai, produced in Sunderland, is the highest placed British-built car in fourth, while the Burnaston-built Toyota Avensis is in eighth place, followed by Swindon’s Honda Civic in ninth.

The survey also named the Ford Transit as the most reliable commercial vehicle, with Ford as manufacturer of the most reliable vans.

There are also British success stories in the commercial vehicles’ top 10 with Southampton’s Ford Transit at the top of the table, followed by the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in second place and the Ford Transit Connect in third.

The Luton-manufactured Vauxhall Vivaro is eighth in the commercial vehicles table.

As well as manufacturing the highest ranked British-built car, Nissan also produces the UK’s most reliable pick-up truck with the Navara taking seventh place in the commercial vehicles table – the only pick-up in the top 10.

“Businesses that depend on vehicles take reliability very seriously, and can’t afford downtime through breakdowns and incur extra costs,” said Fleet News editor Stephen Briers.

“This is the largest reliability survey of its kind, so any vehicle with a top 10 placing will represent a safe bet for any organisation or private motorist.”

FN50 most reliable cars
1 BMW 3 Series
2 Honda Accord
3 Audi A4
4 Nissan Qashqai
5 BMW 1 Series
6 Ford Fiesta
7 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
8 Toyota Avensis
9 Honda Civic
10 Volkswagen Golf

FN50 most reliable car manufacturers
1 Honda
2 Volkswagen
3 BMW

FN50 most reliable commercial vehicles
1 Ford Transit
2 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
3 Ford Transit Connect
4 Citroen Berlingo
5 Citroen Relay
6 Vauxhall Combo
7 Nissan Navara
8 Vauxhall Vivaro
9 Volkswagen Caddy
10 Volkswagen Transporter

FN50 most reliable commercial vehicle manufacturers
1 Ford
2 Volkswagen
3 Mercedes-Benz
 

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