BRITISH-BUILT cars are still tops for long-term reliability and affordability, according to a poll just published. The UK-manufactured Honda Accord and Honda Civic models finished first and second in a reliability supertest conducted by What Car? magazine in association with Warranty Direct.

Other British-built cars in the top ten were the Nissan Micra (fifth), the Jaguar X-type (seventh) and the Mini (eighth).

However, versions of the Land Rover were in the bottom ten of the 111 models surveyed, as was the Jaguar XK8.

Looking just at manufacturers rather than individual models, the survey found that Honda was the most reliable and affordable company, followed by Lexus, Mini, Nissan and Toyota.

As in last year's survey, Land Rover finished bottom of the manufacturers' list.

What Car? editor Steve Fowler said: "The annual reliability survey is a thorough and helpful guide that should be a key part of the decision-making process for any car buyer, whatever their budget, and it's great to see so many British-built cars doing so well.

"It is possible to improve the reliability of your car, simply by being kind to it. Follow the service schedule and keep on top of routine maintenance. Be suspicious of any strange noises or unusual handling and get them investigated - they could be the start of something expensive."

A total of 38,000 vehicles were surveyed with an average age of 4.9 years.