It found that three year old Renault Meganes examined in 2009 had a one in four chance of failing, while similarly aged Vauxhall Corsas had a one in five chance.

The cars that performed well were the Ford Focus, the VW Golf and the BMW 3-series, which proved to be the least likely to fail (7% failure rate – twice as good as the average). Although more expensive to buy, owners of BMWs spend three times less on repairs than the owners of Renault Meganes (£18 v £63).

While the research is unable take into account the way a vehicle was driven or the frequency of servicing, it does prove the need for higher mileage and older cars to be regularly maintained to avoid problems with the annual test.

The average cost of work needed to repair a car failing the MOT was £82 and the data revealed how the Nation spends over £920 million a year correcting faults shown on a failed MOT.

“The data we compile is the best available representative sample of MOT test results in the UK. We are the only organisation able to attach data on vehicle age and mileage at the time of an MOT, providing perhaps the clearest picture available on MOT trends,” said Bill Duffy, Chief Operations Officer (and trained MOT tester) at Nationwide Autocentres.

“This report shows the importance of having the car regularly serviced and not relying on the MOT to show up faults. Motorists are spending money unnecessarily having repairs that could have been spotted and sorted muchearlier in the life of a car.”

The study comes as the government considers a move to extend the legal gap between MOT tests to two years. It illustrates the huge number of moderncars on the road that have faults that if left undetected could lead to critical safety issues.

All percentages (fail rate) and figures (number of cars tested) below are taken from MOTs taken in 2009:

Percentage of three year old cars failing MOT
1 Ford Focus 13% 963
2 Ford Fiesta 13% 868
3 Vauxhall Astra 14% 729
4 Renault Clio 13% 604
5 Vauxhall Corsa 20% 576
6 VW Golf 11% 470
7 Ford Mondeo 12% 372
8 Ford Ka 15% 343
9 Renault Megane 25% 341
10 BMW 3 series 7% 304

Percentage of five year old cars failing MOT
1 Ford Focus 22% 1649
2 Ford Fiesta 20% 1159
3 Vauxhall Corsa 39% 1159
4 Vauxhall Astra 21% 1015
5 Renault Clio 34% 971
6 Peugeot 206 24% 939
7 VW Golf 21% 830
8 Ford Mondeo 27% 653
9 Renault Megane 35% 649
10 Peugeot 307 33% 544

Percentage of ten year old cars failing MOT
1 Ford Focus 38% 963
2 Ford Fiesta 46% 912
3 Vauxhall Astra 36% 715
4 Vauxhall Corsa 48% 693
5 Renault Clio 50% 571
6 Ford Mondeo 49% 551
7 VW Golf 38% 516
8 Peugeot 206 48% 490
9 Vauxhall Vectra 37% 429
10 Renault Megane 44% 298

Nationwide Autocentre’s MOT self help guide:

• Tyres – Make sure all the tyres are inflated to the correct pressure, and there is at least 1.6mm of tread across the 3/4 of the tyre. Ensure there are no cuts, lumps of bulges.
• Vision – Windscreen wipers should not be damaged or worn and must be able to clear the screen efficiently. Also make sure the washer bottle is full. Also check for chips and cracks in the windscreen. In an area in front of the driver a chip cannot be bigger than 10mm, in other areas swept by the wipers that damage cannot be more than 40mm.
• Lights – Make sure all the lights, including those such as the rear registration light, which can be hard to see in daylight, are working correctly, and check lens and/or casings are not cracked or damaged.
• Seatbelts – All seatbelts must be in good condition and working. Dog owners beware, a surprising number of cars fail due to seatbelts that have been chewed by man’s best friend!
• Number plates – Number plates must be securely fastened and not obscured. Personal plate  owners beware, the letters should be of the correct size and spacing.

19 year old James Dickie, who has been an apprentice for Nationwide since 2009, impressed his colleagues and managers alike with his skill, talent, attitude and enthusiasm. The announcement came at the Nationwide Conference on 11 March at the Williams F1 Centre in Oxford.

An independent auditor described James is ‘an asset to the company’ and Raymond McGarvey, General Manager of Nationwide Ayr, can see why he would attract such praise.

“He is exceptionally talented, even gifted and he is an absolute delight to have in the business as he listens and learns, and is completely capable of working alone to a very high standard,” said Raymond.

“James really is a pleasure to work with and thoroughly deserves this award. The whole company, particularly his mentor John Rintoul, is very proud of him.”

Assessed

With up to 250 apprentices at any one time, Nationwide Accident Repairs Services is one of the leading employers of apprentices in the UK motor industry and invests over £2m per year in its apprenticeship programme.

As Nationwide Repair Centres are BSi approved, all motor technician apprentices are assessed in their third year to make sure that they are at the required standard. However, James is already being put forward for these assessments at the beginning of his second year.

Of those apprentices at Nationwide who complete their training and qualifications, 90% stay with the company to continue their careers. Each is given a mentor for the duration of their training plus a Nationwide Apprentice Passport, which forms a portfolio of their achievements and progress.

Nationwide offers vehicle repairs and accident management through its chain of bodyshops and via its fleet of specialist Mobile Repairs vehicles.

The acquisition of Arkell in Birmingham, RAS Services in Derby and Scunthorpe Motorist Centre, continues Nationwide Autocentre’s strategic growth plan and highlights the business’s strength in the current economic slow down.

All existing members of staff at the three centres will be retained by Nationwide Autocentre and will undergo bespoke training to bring them in line with Nationwide Autocentre’s brand values and high standards of work.

Nationwide Autocentre is continuing its growth plan as negotiations are also underway on a variety of other acquisitions across the UK, all of which have reached the due diligence stage. ‘Heads of Terms’ have also been signed on four new ‘Greenfield’ sites.

Duncan Wilkes, CEO of Nationwide Autocentre, commented: “We would like to welcome Arkell, RAS Services and Scunthorpe Motorist Centre’s existing staff to the Nationwide Autocentre family.

The acquisition of the new centres has reinforces the strength of our position in the current competitive market place. We are continuing to expand our business and over the next three months we are set to have a further10 new centres up and running.”

Both Arkell and RAS Services will be re-branded as Nationwide Autocentre over the coming weeks, while Scunthorpe Motorist Centre will remain trading under the same name.

Duncan Wilkes continued: “Over the last 12 months our growth has continued at a rate of one new centre per month and will accelerate as we continue to expand our portfolio in 2009.

“This expansion is both a positive and exciting time for us and customers can rest assured that the high levels of quality service and personal approach that they are accustomed to receiving when they visit our existing centres, will also be rolled out across all of our new centres.”

The ‘Fuel Service’ is the only one of its kind that specialises in cleaning the fuel system and engine on cars over three years old, using a specialist nine or 12 point system of checks to ensure the smoothest possible running.

The products, which are only available at Nationwide Autocentres, were put to the test by The Sun in five cars. The results showed that in all cases the car’s fuel emissions were substantially reduced, with all participants noting an increase in their MPG.

On the whole motorists are likely to see a significant improvement in both their MPG and CO2 emission levels, and in some cases experience a saving of up to £150 over three months.

Nationwide Autocentre is so confident that motorists will see an improvement in these levels that they are offering a money back guarantee. If both MPG and CO2 emissions show no improvement, Nationwide Autocentre is prepared to pay out a refund.

Duncan Wilkes, managing director of Nationwide Autocentre, commented: “This system is different because it burns more fuel in the engine itself, rather than burning fuel as it comes out of the exhaust. Not only does this help the environment by reducing CO2 emissions, but motorists will also get more miles per gallon for their money, which is a big help in these days of rising fuel prices.”

The ‘Fuel Service’ is now available at all Nationwide Autocentres across the UK.

Source: Nationwide Autocentres

Experts believe the slump is the result of the Government’s new proposals to hit millions of drivers with backdated car tax increases of up to £245, along with the soaring cost of fuel.

This has meant that many used cars are now worth more as scrap, as the demand for steel increases. Worst hit by this trend are 4x4s that would typically cost £100 or more to refuel. This, combined with the fact that by 2010 4×4 models that are currently two years old will become liable for over £450 a year in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), effectively means that these vehicles have become worthless to dealers.

The Government’s announcement of increased VED for higher polluting cars also means that motorists are now having to consider far more then just the initial cost of the car and its insurance premium.

It is estimated that between now and Christmas used car values will drop by 12%, meaning an average three-year-old family car worth £5,000 will have dropped £600 by Christmas. As predicted, those worst off will be owners of older cars with a high CO2 emission level and 4×4 owners.

Cars three years or older could cost more in the long run than buying the same model brand new.