British-built Transit dominates reliability survey

Dan Powell, Managing Editor
Thu, 14 Nov 2013

The British-built Ford Transit is the UK’s most reliable van, according to a survey of the 50 largest contract hire and leasing companies.

The FN50 reliability survey, by trade magazine Fleet News, analysed the UK’s largest hire and lease organisations. The survey is based on downtime caused by warranty claims, recalls and breakdowns.

Ford took joint honours for best model and manufacturer for the second consecutive year, while the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (pre-facelift) improved its reliability record to clinch second place from the Transit Connect. However, Mercedes-Benz sufferered disappointment in the overall manufacturers’ table, with Volkswagen relegating it to third.

The news that the Transit has been ranked the UK’s most reliable van will be met with mixed emotions by the industry as it comes just a few months after Ford decided to shut the Southampton plant, which had been responsible for building the iconic van for the last 40 years. More than 500 workers were made redundant at the Swaythling plant, with production moving to Turkey where costs are significantly lower.

However, there was good news for Vauxhall, and its British built Vivaro, which was ranked the seventh most reliable van in the UK.

Elsewhere in the FN50 reliability survey, the Volkswagen Transporter took fourth place for a second consecutive year, while the Volkswagen Caddy took fifth position in the table. Although Mitsubishi had no models in the top 10, an overall improvement in reliability saw it enter the manufacturers’ table for the first time, with tenth place overall.

Top 10 most reliable vans (last year’s position in brackets)

1 Ford Transit (1)

2 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (3)

3 Ford Transit Connect (2)

4 Volkswagen Transporter (4)

5 Volkswagen Caddy (5)

6 Mercedes-Benz Vito (6)

7 Vauxhall Vivaro (7)

8 Renault Trafic (8)

9 Vauxhall Movano (9)

10 Renault Master (-)

Top 10 most reliable van manufacturers (last year’s position in brackets)