The most reliable second-hand cars are those made in Japan and Korea, according to a new survey.

But although European cars are more prone to faults, the cost of repairing them is cheaper, the survey by What Car? magazine and warranty company Warranty Direct found.

Honda topped the most reliable used car table, which was based on the number of faults occurring in a year for cars between three and eight years of age.

Toyota was the second most reliable second-hand car, followed by Suzuki, Lexus, Mitsubishi and Mazda.

According to the survey, there was only a nine per cent chance of a Honda having a fault in 12 months.

In contrast, there was a 55 per cent chance of a fault in a Land Rover, which was 35th, and bottom, in the reliability table.