Mondeo is first for the marathon man

Author: Robin Roberts

The average Ford Mondeo covers more distance on UK roads than any other vehicle, racking up over 15,000 miles annually, nearly 600 more than the next most-used car, the Volvo S80.

Larger, more refined vehicles dominate Warranty Direct’s rundown of the nation’s top 10 mile-munchers according to analysis of its 50,000 live policies on 3-10 year old cars. The report reveals the nation’s lust for luxury during long journeys and provides a unique insight into vehicle usage.

Volkswagen’s Passat and the Audi A6 – two more large vehicles – both also cover in excess of 14,000 miles on average, still well above the rule-of-thumb average of 12,000 miles.

The statistics show that even covering over 15,000 miles annually, the Mondeo’s reliability isn’t diminished, only 15% require a warranty claim each year as opposed to the Passat which has a 44% chance of acquiring a fault.

Conversely, small cars cover significantly less miles, with the Nissan Micra taking the title of Britain’s least-used car. Micra owners rack up just 5,580 miles per year on average. In fact, superminis constitute nine of the 10 least-used cars in Britain.

Unsurprisingly, the least-used cars require less maintenance, with a collective average breakdown rate of 21% in contrast to the most-used cars, 34% of which need fixing by Warranty Direct each year – The overall average including all cars is 39%.

Warranty Direct managing director, Duncan McClure Fisher, said, “The Mondeo’s always been a favourite with company car drivers, and it appears they rarely stay idle for long. Despite this, they are reliable too.