THE first generation Citroen C1 supermini has been named the most reliable car up to three years old in a top reliability and satisfaction survey.

With 49,023 car owners reporting on 58,055 cars, the Which? Car Guide collates ownership experiences from both its members and the general public.

And the C1 achieved the highest reliability score overall of 99.3 per cent, compared to the survey's lowest score for cars up to three years old of 75.2 per cent.

The model came top for reliability in the supermini category for cars of the same age, with none of the C1 owners surveyed reporting any time off the road during the period surveyed and an average annual repair cost of only 49p.

In comparison, the lowest score in the supermini category - cars up to three years old - was 82.2 per cent with an average annual repair cost of £116 and an average 1.08 days off the road annually.

The result coincides with the arrival of the latest C1, which went on sale earlier this month.

Citroen UK communications chief James Parfett said: "The C1 has proved a very successful model, selling more than 780,000 worldwide since launching in 2005. It's brilliant to hear that owners continue to report a positive experience with their cars."