French reunited

I just moved to France with my wife and we are unfamiliar with the European models, and thus, reliability. The French swear by their Clios and their 306/307s, but reading online consumers are less than thrilled with their reliability. In the states we had a 2005 Kia Spectra 5 which did great and scored perfectly with reliability (http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/reliability.aspx?year=2005&make=Kia&model=Spectra5). Is there such a rating system here for European cars? I am seeing that overall European cars seem to last quite a bit longer than U.S. models, but that could be because I'm looking at diesel models and perhaps cultural differences (who knows). We are looking for a hatchback to maximize the interior space, but minimize exterior. Something that feels solid to drive and is reliable in the long run (especially since in our price range it will have 150k - 200k kilometers). We have considered: Peugeot 307, 206 (maybe a bit too small), Renault Clio, Megane, Skoda Fabia and SEAT, Suzuki, Toyota, etc. Any help you could provide would be much appreciated. Thanks,

Asked on 23 January 2010 by A.S., via e-mail

Answered by Honest John

www.reliabilityindex.co.uk is by far the best because it's real. It covers only cars out of manufacturer warranty, so generally cars over 3 years old. But it is based on the true incidences and costs of warranty claims, not some badly conceived consumer survey that allows owner/drivers to 'big' their cars up because they think that by doing so it will increase their 2nd hand values. In the Reliability Index, Hondas, Toyotas and Fords score well.

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