The Cowley-built Mini has been voted the best all-round used car in Britain.

It topped the list of 40 models in a survey of motoring journalists, winning both the Supermini category and the overall honour.

It polled 65 per cent of the votes in its section, putting it streets ahead of its nearest rival, the Nissan Micra.

The win follows hot on the heels of the launch of the second generation of the Mini at the Cowley plant on Wednesday.

During the celebrations, Chancellor Gordon Brown pointed out the Mini has won more than 300 motoring awards worldwide.

Mini spokesman Natalie Wakefield said: "We're delighted to win this award. It is testament to the quality and commitment of the workforce that we are producing such reliable cars."

The first generation of the "new" Mini will be discontinued by the end of the year and, such is customer demand, all cars have already been sold.

Automotive warranty firm Warranty Direct carried out the survey after compiling a list of the 40 most reliable cars on the road.

The Mini beat the Mazda MX-5 and the BMW 5-Series to take first place.