Vauxhall Meriva comes top in reliability statistics

Four Vauxhall/Opel cars have come top for reliability in recently published breakdown statistics issued by a leading German breakdown service.
 
The first-generation Meriva has been recognised as the most reliable small MPV, having ‘substantially fewer breakdowns than the average’ in Germany.
 
The statistics, from top German breakdown service ADAC (German Automobile Club), cover vehicles from the last six registration years. The Meriva gained high marks in each year from 2005 to 2010, an important result for family-car buyers.
 
The top-selling Corsa received the best ADAC rating and is already acknowledged as the winner for lowest rate of defects in 2010 from the German automotive agency DEKRA.
 
Big British sellers, Astra and Zafira also gained top scores, achieving the best evaluation grade in the breakdown statistics for 2009 and 2010.
 
The Meriva was launched in 2003 and effectively created the small MPV sector in the UK and Europe. With its unique FlexSpace rear seating system, which allowed passengers to adjust their seats for more leg or shoulder room – as well as for more boot space – has proved immensely popular with UK buyers, with over 112,000 being sold between 2003 and 2010.
 
The statistics cover Vauxhall/Opel models registered in Germany in the last six years.