BEDFORD, Texas — Warrantech Corporation, an independent provider of service contracts and aftermarket warranties for the automotive industry, named the top three Asian, domestic and European vehicles in its 2009 performance reliability study.

Warrantech Automotive’s actuarial department analyzed its paid claims records on the various vehicles driven by the company’s service contract customers during the past year. 

Utilizing Warrantech’s proprietary database, the company identified service contracts on vehicles that consistently required the fewest number of repairs in 2009. Categorized by region, the vehicles recognized as top performers are listed below:

Asian Vehicles

• Honda Pilot (Passenger Sedan)

• Honda Civic (Passenger Sedan)

• Honda CRV (Passenger Sedan)

Domestic Vehicles

• Ford Ranger (Pick-up Truck)

• Ford F150 (Pick-up Truck)

• Ford Escape (Compact Sedan)

European Vehicles

• Volkswagen Beetle (Compact Sedan)

• Volkswagen Jetta (Passenger Sedan)

• Volkswagen Passat (Passenger Sedan)

“Consumers want dependable transportation, and automobile manufacturers have worked diligently to increase the reliability of their vehicles over the years, said Jeanine Folz, senior vice president of insurance services for Warrantech. “The results of Warrantech’s actuarial study reflect this trend. Today, more than ever before, automobile manufacturers are focused on quality control, and the reliability of some models sets them apart from the rest.”

Conversely, actuarial data not only highlights the reliable performance of certain vehicles, but it can identify negative trends as well. “Through advanced data analysis, Warrantech actuaries saved our insurers millions of dollars in losses by identifying those vehicles requiring higher reserves to hedge against future losses in less reliable cars,” Folz noted.

Monitoring the reliability of vehicles provides valuable information, which is the reason Warrantech so carefully tracks repair statistics.

“Given the high standards for quality control in the automotive industry, picking a particular model in any category is hard, especially considering the number of vehicles on the road today. However, some manufacturers have produced a number of vehicles that consistently require fewer repairs. These vehicles and their manufacturers deserve recognition,” Folz added. “At Warrantech, we congratulate the top performers of 2009, on a job well done.”