Micra Most Rugged Supermini

Nissan is a leading company for reliability and build quality. Nissan has the ultimate desire “to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in accidents to practically zero,” achieving a safer automobile society in the future.

Superminis are by far and away the most popular class of car for UK motorists, accounting for a third of all new vehicles sold. With thrift generally being the watchword of those who opt for a supermini, motor insurance companies have worked out which is the most reliable and trouble-free to run.

The Nissan Micra is the sturdiest of the pack, say motor insurance companies, calculated on the number of garage visits compared to the cost of repairs. The Micra resulted in an average bill of just under £89 for every owner - but suffers from troublesome brakes, causing almost three quarters of all mechanical failures.

The Fiesta ended up in second place, despite around a 25 per cent chance of a garage visit, due to the modest cost of repairs. The Vauxhall Corsa comes at number three with a good reliability rating but above average repair costs of over £219. The outgoing Fiat Punto and the latest model VW Polo fill out the top five.

The most common forms of trouble among superminis are axle and suspension related problems say motor insurance companies, accounting for most problems among half of all cars analysed. Electrical faults, braking problems and transmission failures were also often listed as cause for complaint on motor insurance claims forms.