Honda has been named the most reliable car brand in the UK by WhatCar?.

This is the seventh year in a row in which the company has picked up this prestigious honour, with the firm's failure rate significantly lower than the rest of the field at just ten per cent.

Toyota was the closest competitor this year with a rate of 17 per cent.

What Car? editor in chief Chas Hallett commented: "Reliability is so important to motorists, especially when times are tough. Japanese carmakers really do deliver on reliability and Honda is exceptionally good at this."

He added it is often surprising that many of the brands the public would say were "extremely desirable" tend not to do as well when it comes to reliability.

Earlier this month, Honda announced positive results for the first half of 2012, demonstrating an increase in sales of 11 per cent year on year.

Find out more about the BP fuel card and start saving now.

Posted by Clare Lafferty