HYUNDAI cars has some of the lowest repair bills in the industry, according to a survey by Warranty Direct.

In a survey of repair costs in 2003, Hyundai was ranked sixth in the table, ahead of Japanese giants such as Toyota and Honda, as well as SEAT, VW, Mitsubishi and RenauIt. The average repair bill last year for Hyundai was £246.38, compared to the all-round average of £379.31.

Hyundai has also been commended by the Consumers’ Association for its initiative in reducing costs to the consumer.

Duncan McClure Fisher of Warranty Direct said: “The figures offer an indication of the cost of repair if something did go wrong for the owner. It is also a valuable guide for people looking at a new car so that they can make a more educated judgement on future running costs.”

Warranty Direct also rates Hyundai as one of the seven best manufacturers for reliability. Aftersales Director Graham Lightfoot said: “As repair prices clearly have a major impact on the customer, we work hard to set parts prices and service costs which are fair and good value and attractive to our customers.”

The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) has started a crackdown on drivers who have illegally tinted windows.

Many drivers do not realise that their vision is significantly impaired when looking through tinted glass and are often unaware that heavily tinted glass is illegal.

VOSA is now stopping vehicles with tinted windows and checking them for opacity using specialised equipment.

If the windows are found to be over the legal tint limit the vehicle will be banned and cannot be driven until the tint is removed.