LONDON - Japanese cars swept the board in a survey of the most reliable used cars on Friday, taking nine out of the top 10 places.

The Toyota Corolla from 2000 to 2002, built in Derbyshire, topped the table compiled by What Car? magazine and insurer Warranty Direct.

Confirming the Japanese reputation for reliability, researchers found just three faults per 100 Corollas, compared to five per 100 for the second-placed Honda CR-V.

"The data proves that expensive doesn't necessarily mean reliable," said Warranty Direct's Managing Director Duncan McClure Fisher.

In joint third place were the Honda HR-V (1999-2005) and the Toyota Celica (2000-2006), both with six faults per 100.

Honda's sporty S2000 model ranked fifth, while the only non-Japanese car in the top 10 was the BMW 3 Series Compact (1994-2001) in joint sixth.

At the other end of the table, Alfa Romeo's GTV (1996-2003) was named as the most unreliable car, with 97 faults per 100.

The study analysed data from 35,000 cars, 26 manufacturers and 133 different models.

Here are the top 10 most reliable cars, listed with their year of manufacture and the number of faults per 100 cars:

1) Toyota Corolla, 2000-2002, 3 faults

2) Honda CR-V, 1997-2002, five

3=) Honda HR-V, 1999-2005, six

3=) Toyota Celica, 2000-2006, six

5) Honda S2000, 1999-2007, seven

6) BMW 3 Series Compact, 1994-2001, nine

6=) Honda Civic, 1996-2001, nine

6=) Honda Accord, 1999-2003, nine

9) Honda Civic, 2001-2005, 10

10) Nissan Micra, 1998-2002, 11

Here are the most unreliable:

1) Alfa Romeo GTV, 1996-2003, 97

2) Renault Espace, 1997-2002, 77

3) Jaguar XK8, 1996-2006, 62

4) Renault Laguna, 2000-2007, 55

5) Fiat Multipla, 1999-2007, 52

6) Volvo S80, 1998-2006, 51

7=) Land Rover Freelander, 2000-2006, 48

7=) Land Rover Range Rover, 1995-2002, 48

7=) Audi Allroad, 2000-2005, 48

10) Seat Alhambra, 2000-2007, 47