The Swindon-built Honda CR-V has been named as the most reliable used 4x4 in a poll of more than 50 models.

The worst was the Audi A6 Allroad which costs more than three times the Honda.

Honda’s CR-V was revealed as the off-roader least likely to let you down, followed by the Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota’s RAV4 in the survey organised by Warranty Direct.

Mitsubishi and Kia make it a clean sweep for Far Eastern manufacturers in the top five.

The Audi A6 Allroad which fared worst saw more than half of drivers reporting a fault in a 12 month period. A third of those problems reported were suspension-related and repairs cost average more than twice of the Honda.

Duncan McClure Fisher, managing director of Warranty Direct, said: “The 4x4 and SUV segment is an expensive section of the car market, so it’s important to know the costs of ownership because when things go wrong, it’s often expensive to fix.

“Vehicles such as the Honda CR-V and Suzuki Grand Vitara top this table because they have low average repair costs, and are also dependable thanks to typical Japanese reliability.

“Less than 10 per cent of CR-Vs and 15 per cent of Grand Vitaras fail each year and the average repair cost for both is under £250.

“Larger or premium German vehicles are more expensive, with average repair costs for each costing over £500. Sadly these vehicles haven’t shown us the perceived 'German reliability’.”

Paul Ormond, the general manager of Honda’s PR and Corporate affairs, said: “To be number 1 is an achievement in itself, especially in an independent survey.

“Reliability is a must and this shows the build quality we have at Swindon.

“This is down to the associates who work at South Marston, who take great pride in making the best.

“The current weather like this has shown the CR-V off to its best.”

Warranty Direct’s study used its unique Reliability Index (www.reliabilityindex.co.uk), which takes into account how often vehicles break down, average repair cost and time spent in the garage to calculate its overall reliability.

The lower the Reliability Index number, the more reliable the car.

The highest-placed European car is the newer incarnation of perennial 4x4 favourite, Land Rover’s Freelander, which has previously fared badly in Warranty Direct’s studies because of its unreliability. However three of its models are in the bottom 10.

Warranty Direct’s Duncan McClure Fisher said: “It’s promising to see improvement from Land Rover’s flagship model.

“The biggest surprise was the poor performance of the Volvo XC90.

“It’s not what you’d expect from a manufacturer with Volvo’s reputation, but I’m signing cheques every day on XC90 repairs.”

With an average repair cost of £595.58, the Mitsubishi Shogun is the most expensive to fix but has a low incidence rate, with just under eight per cent per year suffering a glitch.