One-in-four drivers delay servicing or go DIY as a result of cost-of-living crisis

Cost-of-living pressures have forced almost a quarter of drivers (23%) to either put off getting their vehicles serviced or do it themselves, a new survey of 2,000 UK drivers by the RAC has found.

While 10% have postponed their next car service by up to a year to save money, one-in-20 (5%) have gone further and delayed getting their vehicles checked for more than a year, and are only relying on the annual MOT to ensure their car is roadworthy.

An additional one-in-10 (10%) meanwhile have decided to either start servicing their cars themselves, or called on the assistance of someone they know to do it.

Nine per cent of drivers say have opted for cheaper servicing – for instance by swapping a full or major service for a minor one – while a similar proportion (8%) have switched from using their normal garage to a cheaper one in a bid to save cash.

Related: Fifth of drivers slam councils for scrapping parking payment machines in favour of mobile apps

High inflation inevitably means the price to service vehicles goes up, a point backed up by research from the Motor Ombudsman which shows that rising costs are the biggest operational challenges faced by independent garages and franchised dealers in 2023.

RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Not keeping on top of servicing a vehicle is almost always a false economy, as the probability of suffering a breakdown emergency and having to fork out even more for expensive repairs down the line go up massively.

“So, while drivers might feel the best thing to do is to put off servicing or opt for a cheaper service even if their car is due a full one, we advise strongly against it as repair costs are likely to snowball when things start to go wrong.”

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