The latest attempt by Warranty Direct to sell used car warranties has landed in our inbox. It reveals the ‘ten cars you can rely on this summer’, in doing so making the tacit suggestion that the other cars- your car, for example – might not be so reliable, and that you might benefit from taking out an extended warranty on your old banger. Warranty Direct cover starts from as little as £15 per month. So, the most reliable family car, as determined by Warranty Direct’s claims database, is the Toyota Corolla (MY 2001-2007), with around seven percent breaking down per year, on average – the lowest ratio.That’s closely followed by the Honda Civic, Honda Accord and Mazda 3, all of which have a ten percent rate. The Toyota Auris and Prius come next, with 11 and 12 percent respectively, followed by the Ford C-Max and Mondeo, with 14 and 15 percent.

Ninth and tenth places are taken by the Nissan Qashqai and Peugeot 308, both with 16 percent.At the other end of the spectrum, the least reliable cars are the Renault Espace and the Mercedes R-Class – three quarters of owners of both suffer repair bills every year, with the biggest claim for an Espace a whopping £2,750.

Warranty Direct MD Duncan McClure Fisher said: “Most cars will go wrong at some stage but there’s nothing worse than the family’s excitement at setting off on holiday being destroyed by a morning spent on the hard shoulder. And, as well as the inconvenience to your holiday, a breakdown can also put a serious dent in your wallet.”

Other Warranty companies are available. But none of them are called Warranty Direct, nor have sent us a press release today.