7 September 2002: The Ford Focus (above), Honda Accord and Toyota Yaris have been named as 'Best Buys' in the latest survey by the UK-based consumer magazine 'Which?'.

And overall, the poll of more than 33,500 British drivers indicated that they believed Japanese cars are the most reliable on the market, with Mazda and Lexus sharing the principal reliability kudos with the brands named above.

Only one percent of Mazdas bought since 2000 broke down in the last year, analysis of the respondents suggested, compared to 20 percent of Jeeps, 16 percent of Alfa Romeos and 13 percent of Land Rovers.

Some 34 percent of cars less than two years old needed a part replacing, with the figure rising to 38 percent for Citroen and Volkswagen, the returns from the survey indicated.

Nearly all Lexus drivers said they would recommend their car to a friend, compared to fewer than half for Vauxhall (Opel here), Rover and Fiat.

The 'Which?' magazine Car Survey is Britain's biggest annual reliability poll.

Honda Accord

Toyota Yaris