Despite Leyland DAF Vans closing its doors four years ago, its vans remain robust, suffering the least number of breakdowns, according to Warranty Direct, while Vauxhall vans come bottom of the study.

The study of more than 2,000 van policies found that an average of 22% of LDV vans suffer a fault each year.

That failure rate jumps to one in three for Mitsubishi, placed third in the study.

Meanwhile, more than half of Vauxhalls break down every year, making it the least reliable brand.

The most common faults recorded are suspension damage, often caused by speed humps and potholes, accounting for almost one in 10 garage visits.

Electrical and fuel system issues are the next most reported woes.

Duncan McClure Fisher, managing director of Warranty Direct, said: “Time is money for van drivers so every minute they’re off the road costs them. It’s great to see British build quality faring well. The irony is that the most reliable manufacturer is one that did not survive the recession, but at least you know it’s a good used vehicle buy.”

Most reliable van manufacturers

 

Position

Manufacturer

Annual Incidence Rate

1

LDV

22.01%

2

Mercedes-Benz

23.15%

3

Mitsubishi

30.63%

4

Fiat

34.23%

5

Renault

36.98%

6

Ford

38.52%

7

Volkswagen

39.30%

8

Citroen

41.43%

9

Nissan

45.46%

10

Peugeot

52.60%