Nine in ten fail basic car proficiency test

• Motorists quizzed on basic car maintenance, dashboard signs and engine knowledge
• One in seven (14 per cent) can’t even open the bonnet of their car
• Millennials’ car knowledge 43 per cent lower than the rest of the population
   

What Briton’s don’t know about their cars IS worth knowing, with nine in ten (89 per cent) motorists failing basic questions about their cars, according to a new study of motorists by Privilege car insurance.

Participants were asked to match names to the correct part of a car’s engine, as well as being tested on the meanings of dashboard signs and quizzed on basic car maintenance.

In car maintenance proficiency, towing another vehicle is the nation’s biggest blind spot, with three in four (65 per cent) unable to do this unaided. This is followed by changing a car’s battery (58 per cent) and changing a wheel unaided (54 per cent). In what may come as a surprise, one in seven of all those taking the test (14 per cent) didn’t even know how to open the bonnet of their cars.

When it came to matching basic terms such as gasket and catalytic converter to their description, only one in five (21 per cent) managed to score above 80 per cent.

What is more, a generational gap is opening up when it comes to car knowledge, with those aged 18 to 34 knowing 43 per cent less about their motors than everyone else*.

Worse still, this younger cohort of drivers seem to be a generation of ‘car blaggers’. For two in three (66 per cent) the test results showed a mismatch between their perception of their car knowledge (what they thought they would score), and what they actually did score when tested.
 

Privilege Car Proficiency Test: UK results

Source: Privilege Car Insurance

The research also revealed that men are more guilty of ‘augmenting’ their knowledge than women, with over half (52 per cent) of men claiming to know more than they actually do, compared with 43 per cent of women who stretch the extent of their motoring knowledge.

Motorists fared better in the dashboard signs area of the test, with 84 per cent of participants on average, correctly describing what each dashboard light meant.

Charlotte Fielding, head of Privilege car insurance said: “Getting to grips with basic car maintenance is imperative when it comes to road safety.

“They might feel like minor details, but keeping on top of things like checking your tyre pressure or ensuring your engine oil is topped up means a safer car, and ultimately leads to fewer incidents on the roads.”
 

Privilege Car Proficiency Test: Men vs Women

Source: Privilege Car Insurance

ENDS
 

For more information, please contact: Fran Langdon or Laura Nugent at Van Communications:

fran@rtc.london / laura@rtc.london  / 020 3179 0720
 

Notes to editors:

Research was conducted by Opinium via online tests amongst a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults, of which all were drivers. Research was conducted from 10th to 14th February 2017

*Respondents were asked to match ten car parts to the correct description of that part
 

Privilege

Privilege Insurance specialises in car insurance for safe drivers. It also offers home insurance and breakdown cover by phone or on-line.

Privilege general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
 

Privilege and U K Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.  

Customers can find out more about Privilege’s products or get a quote by calling 0345 246 0515 or visitingwww.privilege.co.uk