The TUV report covers the period from July 2005 to June 2006 and in figures just released shows that faults were found in only 1.8% of Meriva models tested. The industry average is 5.9% and the Meriva score is significant in that a model rarely achieves a defect rate of less than 2%.

The Meriva is among 113 different models listed in the test results. Compared to last year's results, Opel models improved their rating significantly in the report.

The Corsa scored 4.4%, the Vectra 4.5%, the Agila 4.8% and the Astra 5.1%, all better than the industry average.

The TUV report records the results of all general inspections under the government car-test programme and is based on the result of over seven million vehicle checks during the reporting period. Dave Sheeran, managing director of Opel Ireland said that Opel's quality initiative was obviously paying off. The spotlight would continue to focus on the quality of all models under the Opel brand name.