NOx sensors are the most common reason for van warranty claims, according to Warranty Solutions Group (WSG). The company said the finding was based on analysis of more than 3,000 van warranty claims dating back to July 2021.
NOx sensors accounted for 5.3% of claims, ahead of alternators with 5.14% and diesel injectors with 4.45%. Turbochargers (3.3%) and diesel particulate filters (2.7%) completed the top five.
As for average claim value, the costliest component to repair on average was the diesel particulate filter at £1,377, ahead of the gearbox at £1,272 and the turbocharger at £802. The average van warranty claim costs £628. WSG’s data shows that the highest individual claim value during the period was £6,050, for a reconditioned engine and turbocharger repair on a Vauxhall Combo. That single figure draws attention, but the company argues the more frequent lower-cost failures matter more for fleet operators.
Dennis Brett, claims director at WSG, said: “One of the biggest misconceptions is that the highest repair bill represents the biggest reliability issue. In reality, it’s often the faults that occur hundreds or even thousands of times across a vehicle parc that have the greatest commercial impact. A £300 or £500 repair repeated across a fleet can ultimately cost operators far more than the occasional major engine failure.”
The pattern here is familiar to anyone who has watched warranty data over the years. The headline-grabbing breakdown gets the attention, but the quiet, repeated faults are what actually shape maintenance budgets. Emissions-related components now dominate those recurring claims in a way they didn’t a decade ago.
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Brett said: “By analysing more than 3,000 authorised warranty claims over five years, we’re able to identify patterns that simply aren’t visible from individual repairs. Claims intelligence provides a unique insight into what’s really happening once vehicles are out in the field and how reliability is evolving as technology becomes more sophisticated.”
He said operators needed to understand and plan for recurring issues with components such as emissions systems and electronics. “Modern vans are delivering higher levels of efficiency, lower emissions and greater connectivity than ever before, but that progress has also increased the complexity of vehicle maintenance.
“Components such as NOx sensors, diesel particulate filters, AdBlue systems and electronic control units are becoming increasingly critical to vehicle performance. That makes preventative maintenance, early diagnosis and access to specialist technical expertise more important than ever.
“Operators that understand these trends will be in a much stronger position to reduce downtime, manage maintenance budgets and improve whole-life vehicle performance.”
