New research from Close Brothers Motor Finance has uncovered the most common mistakes motorists admit to making with their cars. Despite record-high running costs, many drivers are still making avoidable errors that could end up damaging their vehicles and their wallets.
Topping the list: a third (32%) of motorists admit to forgetting to lock their vehicles, leaving them at risk of theft. Almost a quarter (25%) have left something on top of their car, and 12% have left the car boot open. Another quarter (25%) of drivers admit to losing their car in the car park.
Residents of Birmingham were the least likely to have forgotten to lock their vehicle (25%), while Edinburgh residents were the most likely (40%).
Drivers in these cities have forgotten to lock the vehicle:
Edinburgh - 40%
Bristol - 37%
Glasgow - 35%
London - 33%
Manchester - 33%
Newcastle - 29%
Leeds - 28%
Liverpool - 26%
Birmingham - 25%
One in six (17%) drivers have run out of fuel on the road, and one in ten (9%) have accidentally used the wrong fuel. 7% of drivers also admitted to running out of battery range when driving their EV.
Drivers admit to…
Forgetting to lock the vehicle - 32%
Losing a car in the car park - 25%
Leaving something on top of the car - 25%
Running out of fuel - 17%
Leaving the filler cap open - 17%
Locking keys in the car - 16%
Leaving the handbrake off - 15%
Leaving the boot open - 12%
Using the wrong fuel - 9%
Running out of battery range - 7%
The research also reveals how people look after their cars. Surprisingly, a fifth of drivers (20%) rarely, or never, check the oil levels of their cars. The same number (20%) rarely or never check the tyre tread depth.
John Cassidy, Managing Director of Sales at Close Brothers Motor Finance, comments: “Making the odd mistake with our vehicles is part and parcel of driving. While many of these slip ups are harmless, some can be surprisingly costly. With the rising cost of vehicle ownership and our increasing dependence on cars for work and daily life there’s more at stake when things go wrong.
“The good news is that vehicle technology is evolving quickly. Modern in-car systems are often smart enough to catch our errors before they become a problem, whether it’s alerting us to an open boot or flagging a low tyre pressure. Even if your vehicle doesn’t have some of the latest features, it’s important to pause and think before acting when you notice a mistake. For example, if you realise you’ve topped up with the wrong fuel, don’t feel pressured to drive off, starting the ignition can actually make things worse.”
