THE most dependable used family car is a British-built Toyota Corolla, according to research by a leading warranty company.

The Corolla - made at Toyota's factory in Burnaston, Derbyshire, topped a poll by Warranty Direct which analysed 30,000 of its breakdown policies.

It was one of four British made models which came in the top ten with the Swindon-built Honda Civic, the Sunderland made Nissan Qashqai and the Toyota Auris, which succeeded the Corolla at Burnaston, all performing well.

The study examined three to five-year-old cars from the small family, family and MPV categories with the Corolla - registered between 2001 and 2007 - coming out on top with just seven per cent of them breaking down each year on average.

Honda's Civic from 2006 onwards - which is also made in Britain - and the Accord ('02-'08) were also among the most dependable family vehicles, both with claim rates of 10 per cent..

At the other end of the scale, the Renault Espace (‘02-‘12) and Mercedes R-Class ('06-) are the most likely to cause problems, with three quarters of all owners suffering unwanted garage bills.

According to Warranty Direct the top ten most reliable family cars are:

After the Espace and R-Class the other worst performers were the Vauxhall Vectra, Renault's Scenic, Grand Scenic and Megane, and the Skoda Superb, all of which had breakdown rates of more than 50 per cent.