Endurance Vehicle Protection, one of the nation’s largest vehicle service contract providers, recently crowned the Toyota Corolla the most reliable vehicle, according to claim rate. This is especially good news for the millions of owners who made the Corolla the second best-selling car of 2012.
The “most reliable” title is a result of the analysis of 150 separate models manufactured by 26 different car makers over a 3-year period. Endurance, which provides vehicle service contracts – or as they’re commonly known, extended warranties – randomly selected and analyzed 20,000 vehicles in all for reliability. Next in line for low claim rates was the Kia Sportage SUV. Both the Corolla and the Sportage individually buck the trends, as the Top 5 Most Reliable Vehicles of 2013 were topped by pickup trucks, which reported a 29 percent claim rate. The reliability of pickup trucks is largely due to their tendency to hold up better than smaller vehicles under more rugged driving conditions; a result of the more rigorous manufacturing processes pickups undergo to endure those circumstances.
Sedans are the second-most reliable vehicles by type, with a 34 percent claim rate, followed by SUVs, with a 39 percent rate. Minivans are at the bottom of the list, with a 41 percent claim rate.
Most new vehicle owners express satisfaction during the industry-standard 3 year and/or 36,000 mile factory warranties. However, as factory warranties expire and vehicles begin aging, parts must be repaired or replaced, which makes for unhappy drivers. To extend the life of the vehicle, one of the most popular options consumers have is to purchase vehicle service contracts. With $25 million in total claims since its inception in 2006, Endurance is one of the largest vehicle service contract providers in the country, and is the only company in the industry that is both a gold-certified member of the Vehicle Protection Association (VPA) and A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
http://www.endurancewarranty.com/learning-center/research/car-reliability/