German cars more reliable than Japanese cars, reports find

( dpa )- German cars have surpassed Japanese-produced vehicles in terms of technical reliability, according to two recently released test reports.

In some 14 of 21 car segments reviewed, the top positions were held by German cars, the technical testing authority DEKRA said in its annual report for 2007.

The cars were tested according to the number of kilometres travelled and listed in the categories from mini cars to luxury sports and vans. Some 150 models were reviewed.

In the mini car section the Japanese Mitubishi Colt came out on top with the BMW 1-Series holding top spot in the compact class. German cars such as the Audi A6, Mercedes SLK, Audi A8 won the premium to luxury segments. In the SUV category, the BMW X3 was listed as most reliable while the VW Touran won the van section.

Meanwhile, a report compiled from the annual breakdown reports for 2007 by Germany's largest automobile association, ADAC, also showed German cars were most reliable.

The ADAC awarded the trophy "best quality" to the BMW X3. While Japanese cars in the past dominated the report in terms of reliability, the latest report lists the Audi A2, BMW 1-Series and BMW MINI as holding the positions two to four.

Only two Japanese cars were listed in the top 10 positions - the Mazda 3 on the number five spot and the Mitsubishi Space Star in tenth position.

The ADAC said the report confirmed a trend visible during the last two years after German car makers launched a quality offensive in response to the Japanese cars which have for years held top spot in terms of reliability.