Hyundai has usurped Toyota to claim top spot in CarMD’s third annual Vehicle Health Index survey.
The Index tracked the frequency and cost of repairs for “check engine” problems in 119 million cars in the US, built between 2003 and 2013. It compares the two measures to produce an overall rating, with 0.00 representing a perfect score.
While Toyota has previously ranked first, Hyundai overtook the Japanese giant this year, with 2.44 per cent of its cars recording a problem, at an average repair cost of $312.67. By comparison, 10.34 per cent of Toyota’s cars recorded a problem (an increase of 52 per cent on last year), at an average repair cost of $540.53.
Both sets of results represent a drop in reliability from last year’s report.
Toyota’s average cost of repair was the highest of the top 10 manufacturers, while General Motors, which placed third, had the lowest, at $304.99. GM had the highest recorded frequency of problems of the top 10 manufacturers, however, at 28.75 per cent.
Although Hyundai was the overall Index leader, the 2012 Toyota Camry was found to be the top individual vehicle, with the least frequent “check engine” problems recorded. The Camry outranked the three Nissan models and four other Toyotas, as well as Hyundai’s best performing model, the 2010 Elantra, which ranked ninth.
The top 10 manufacturers in the report were: Hyundai, Toyota, General Motors, Chrysler, Honda, Ford, Nissan, Kia, Volkswagen and Mitsubishi. General Motors’ third place was up from eighth last year, while Chrysler rose from 10th.
