The independent survey, published with German car magazine Auto Bild, ranks vehicles based on the percentage which experience faults at specific ages. A minimum of 500 tests have to have been carried out for a model to feature and, though average mileage is noted, it isn’t factored into the results.

In the two-to-three year old category, German Prius drivers had covered an average 43,000km, recording a 3.5% fault rate to rank joint seventh place with the Toyota iQ and Yaris. The smaller vehicles had covered less mileage than the Prius.

The Prius ranked top of the table in the four-to-five year old category, with an average of 63,000km covered and a fault rate of 4.0%. Toyota’s Auris and Corolla Verso also featured in the top ten, having covered 57,000 and 71,000km respectively, in third and fourth place with fault rates of 5.0% and 5.1%.

At six to seven years old, the Prius ranked in third place, recording a 7.0% fault rate and 83,000km average. Four out of the top five vehicles were Toyotas.