Honda best to beat the potholes, research finds
Looking for a car which can survive the poor condition of the UK roads? Then try a Honda. According to new research, Honda cars are the most resilient to pothole damage, saving drivers hundreds of pounds in repairs each year.
Research undertaken by Potholes.co.uk, a website run by Warranty Direct, analysed around 150,000 policies over a three year period to reveal the cars most and least susceptible to damage by one of the nation’s biggest bugbear – potholes. This winter, UK roads are set to become the worst ‘in a generation.’
After Honda, the most ‘pothole-proof’ manufacturers are Toyota and Hyundai, with less than 2 per cent of their cars suffering axle and suspension damage attributable to potholes and other road defects.
Worryingly, fleet favourite car makers including Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover models made the list of the of vehicles most likely to be affected by the pothole-riddled roads, with more than 10 per cebt suffering damage each year.
While the average payout for pothole-induced suspension damage is £309, Warranty Direct and Potholes.co.uk have indentified recent claims as high as £2,420.
Duncan McClure Fisher of Warranty Direct, said: “With last year’s road damage barely dealt with, a repeat of those harsh winter weather conditions could see our highways deteriorate to the worst state they’ve been in for a generation.
“As councils struggle to solve the pothole problem, consumers can at least be smart about their vehicle of choice. We’ve found some cars have an uncanny ability to absorb the jolts from even the most severe road craters, while others aren’t so resilient.”
“Particularly surprising is that high-end manufacturers are just as vulnerable, if not more so, than ‘value’ manufacturers. However, we wouldn’t lambast those at the bottom of the pile because the roads are just so bad.”
Of course, those at the bottom of the pile could be affected by a high-annual mileage and the motoring style of their drivers too. Nonetheless, here is the top ten of the most resilent brands along with their incident rate in percentage.
Top 10 most resilient manufacturers
1 Honda: 1.4%
2 Toyota: 1.5%
3 Hyundai: 1.7%
4 Nissan: 2.0%
5 Kia: 2.1%
6 Mitsubishi 2.2%
7 MINI: 3.0%
8 Suzuki: 3.1%
9 Ford: 3.4%
10 Mazda: 3.4%
Top 10 least resilient manufacturers
1 Chrysler: 12.2%
2 smart: 10.6%
3 Mercedes-Benz: 10.4%
4 Land Rover: 10.1%
5 Jaguar: 9.4%
6 Saab: 8.5%
7 Fiat: 7.4%
8 BMW: 6.8%
9 SEAT: 6.6%
10 Vauxhall: 6.4%
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