UK-based Warranty Direct revealed their list of brands most resilient to pothole damage. Honda topped the list followed by Toyota and Hyundai. Chrysler is the least resilient marquee.
The study took into consideration warranty policies over a three-year period to check which brands held better when it comes to running over road craters.
The top 10 according to Warranty Direct:
- Honda – 1.4% (incident rate in an average year)
- Toyota – 1.5%
- Hyundai – 1.7%
- Nissan – 2.0%
- Kia – 2.1%
- Mitsubishi – 2.2%
- MINI – 3.0%
- Suzuki – 3.1%
- Ford – 3.4%
- Mazda – 3.4%
The bottom 10 according to Warranty Direct:
- Chrysler – 12.2% (incident rate in an average year)
- Smart – 10.6%
- Mercedes-Benz – 10.4%
- Land Rover – 10.1%
- Jaguar – 9.4%
- Saab – 8.5%
- Fiat – 7.4%
- BMW – 6.8%
- SEAT – 6.6%
- Vauxhall – 6.4%
Then again, UK potholes are probably nowhere the craters that we have here where even main highways will be considered rural blacktops in more developed countries. Oh, and in the UK, you can have the government reimburse you for damages (like punctured tires) caused by potholes.
Hyundai coming third surprised me since my own Hyundai is already suffering from “kalatok” and it’s not even two years since I drove it from the dealership. The five-year warranty supposedly covers main suspension components though.
I have a 2011 Honda City. The suspension is ok, but the weak link are the Goodyear tires that are installed. Nagkabukol yung isa sa gulong ko after hitting a pothole. Yung isa naman e dahil sa may nasagasaan akong malaking bato sa edsa-ayala tunnel. Somebody told me na weakness daw talaga ito ng Goodyear tires. May nag-loosen rin sa body panel sa left side ng car. What I also don’t like is that this car has a rather low underside clearance (hindi naman sya lowered). Madalas syang sumayad sa humps.
This car’s strong points are its engine (variable valve timing), gearbox (paddle shift), and brakes (ABS).