Increasingly complex electronics are making cars more prone to expensive breakdowns, according to automotive specialist, Warranty Direct.
Electrical faults have increased by two thirds (66%) over the last five years, according to the firm’s unique Reliability Index (www.reliabilityindex.com) and analysis of cars aged over three years. Electrical faults are the most common across all cars on Warranty Direct’s database of 50,000 policies, with almost a quarter (23%) needing a repair every year.
Meanwhile, the average cost of repairing failures caused by electrical gremlins has also increased by nearly a third (32%) over the same period, to £300, but can rise as high as £2,804.
While relays and alternators are the most likely components to break, newer electronic innovations like parking sensors are typically amongst the many faults reported.
| Position | Make | Avg Cost |
| 1 | Porsche | £757.24 |
| 2 | Bentley | £670.24 |
| 3 | Audi | £511.75 |
| 4 | Mitsubishi | £479.67 |
| 5 | Mercedes-Benz | £458.69 |
| 6 | Jeep | £453.87 |
| 7 | Subaru | £450.67 |
| 8 | BMW | £432.89 |
| 9 | Daihatsu | £432.60 |
| 10 | Land Rover | £431.57 |
