With the sun finally making an appearance in 2016, Warranty Direct has revealed the most reliable used convertibles.
Mazda MX-5 (05-15) topped the new study of 3-8 year old convertibles based on the warranty providers database of 50,000 live policies. Revealing Mazda’s classic and recently-revived roadster as the least likely of all convertibles to leave you stranded, the MX-5 pipped Vauxhall’s Tigra (04-09) to top spot - which boasts the second lowest maximum repair cost in the top 10 at £663.74. However, the Tigra is more than twice as likely than the MX-5 to suffer a fault, with 18 in every 100 expected to break down each year.
Peugeot’s 206 CC (98-09) came in third spot ahead of the Mercedes-Benz SLK (04-11) and Volvo C70 (06-13), completing the top five. Both the Mercedes-Benz and the Volvo racked up maximum repair costs of £2695.02 and £2086.51 respectively, more than three times that of the Mazda in the most expensive case.
Warranty Direct’s Chief Operating Officer, Philip Ward, said: “With the summer holidays upon us and the recent heatwave, many drivers might just be thinking about finally dropping the top. The Mazda MX-5 is head and shoulders above its competition. It’s fun to drive, has long-proven reliability and is surprisingly affordable in terms of convertible ownership.
“Manual folding roofs have fewer parts to go wrong, whereas modern electric roofs include motors and hydraulic pumps, which can cause expensive repairs. This explains why some high-end convertibles appear lower on the list.”
Electrical faults are the most common problem with drop-tops - featuring an average repair cost of £349.35.
Completing the list is the Volkswagen Eos (06-14) in sixth spot, Audi’s TT Roadster (06-14) in seventh, the BMW Z4 (09-16) takes eighth place, Audi A3 Cabriolet (03-13) ninth and BMW’s 3 Series (07-13) rounds out the top ten.
Nearly two in five (37%) of BMW Z4 garage visits are due to electrical faults, whilst 28% of Audi A3 Cabriolet breakdowns are on account of engine faults. The BMW 3 Series is the most expensive car in the top 10 to fix if something does go wrong, with repair bills soaring to £5958.06.
At the opposite end of the scale, the Porsche Boxster (04-12) is the least reliable convertible, with 42 in every 100 suffering problems which cost an average of £731.07 to repair.
For more information on the reliability of your vehicle, visit www.reliabilityindex.com