NAMED: CARS THAT COST MOST TO KEEP ON ROAD

BRITAIN'S most expensive cars to keep on the road have been named in a new survey.

It reveals motorists spend pounds 200m a year on repairs after makers' warranties expire.

Experts claim the worst models were found to cost THREE TIMES more than the most dependable. Renault's popular Espace and Land Rover's Discovery top the league table of costliest cars.

Annual parts and labour charges can cost pounds 486 for four- and five-year-old cars, according to Warranty Direct. The cheapest cars to run - Ford's Fiesta and Fiat Cinquecento - attract annual bills from pounds 164 to pounds 174.

One and two-year-old Espace and Discovery models also come bottom of a reliability survey compiled by Which? magazine.

The most common failures involve suspension and braking.

"The failure rate is dreadful," said Duncan McClure Fisher of Warranty Direct, who found the Citroen XM was the most likely to break down. Its failure rate of 113 per cent means on average all XMs break down at least once a year. "Garages are the biggest winner," he added.

Renault and Ford said the cars studied were not typical examples, and Citroen said the XM is an old model and current vehicles were as reliable as others.

10 MOST EXPENSIVE CARS

Average annual repair bills

% breakdown in year 4 or 5

Renault Espace pounds 486.77 88

Citroen XM pounds 481.17 113

Land Rover Discovery pounds 436.33 56

Vauxhall Frontera pounds 428.10 43

Rover 800 Series pounds 427.93 45

Mercedes E Class pounds 420.97 21

Fiat Coupe pounds 395.68 53

Volkswagen Golf pounds 379.49 28

Saab 900 pounds 362.94 29

Rover 600 Series pounds 343.22 27

10 CHEAPEST CARS

Average annual repair bills

% breakdown in year 4 or 5

Ford Fiesta pounds 164.28 43

Ford Escort pounds 165.06 38

Fiat Cinquecento pounds 171.83 68

VW Passat pounds 174.59 40

Peugeot 406 pounds 199.29 38

Citroen ZX pounds 215.83 50

BMW 3 Series pounds 213.24 37

Vauxhall Corsa pounds 216.06 41

Ford Mondeo pounds 219.86 35

Rover 400 series pounds 227.07 26

Copyright 2002 MGN LTD
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.