Many motorists have admitted driving cars they know are not in a roadworthy condition in the last two years because they can't afford to have their vehicles properly fixed, a new report has said.
Research by automotive repair firm Kwik Fit claims that in the last two years more than 1.2 million owners have driven cars that are not fit for the road because they didn't have the finances to cover the cost of repairs.
In the same two year period, more than four million drivers kept their car off the road because they couldn't stump up the money to pay for having their motor rectified.
Kwik Fit calculated that 21 million owners said they needed repair work carried out on their car in the last two years, with nearly one in five (19 per cent) being forced to go without their car while they got their finances in order.
Half of these motorists (2 million) had to keep their car off the road for a month or longer, the report said.
They also worked out that 1.2 million decided to drive their car without having it correctly fixed, with men twice as likely as women to get behind the wheel of an unroadworthy vehicle.
It based its findings on a survey of 2,005 people.
Of those who decide to carry out repairs themselves, a third said the quality of work they or a friend or relative did concerned them.
And almost half a million said, despite being worried about the DIY job done on their car, sold their car soon after the repair was completed.
Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, says: 'All cars need repairs at some point, it’s the inevitable result of everyday wear and tear.
'Drivers should therefore try to be realistic about their motoring budget and plan for their costs.
'Measures which may appear to be saving money in the short term may turn out to be a false economy.
'Skipping servicing can lead to problems which may be more expensive to fix at a later date.'
The study also gave an indication about the importance of regular car maintenance.
More than three quarters (77 per cent) of those skipping their car’s annual service had to have repairs carried out on their car in the last two years.
The equivalent figure for those who maintained their car’s annual service record was 56 per cent, suggesting that regular servicing helps keep the need for repairs at bay.
This article originally appeared on This Money.
