Gocompare.com Car Insurance found that millions of British motorists lack the confidence to perform basic car maintenance tasks such as changing a flat tyre or jump starting a car battery.
What’s more, simple car maintenance skills look set to disappear with the Baby Boomers as the research revealed that young drivers are far less likely to be able to carry out straightforward tasks such as changing a wheel or jump starting a flat battery than drivers aged 55 and over.
Almost half of motorists (48%) admitted that they didn’t know the meaning of all of their car’s dashboard warning lights and almost a quarter (24%) believe that having breakdown cover means they don’t need to learn how to maintain their vehicle.
The survey questioned motorists on their ability to complete routine car maintenance tasks. Topping up screen wash and checking oil levels were among the jobs that motorists felt most confident in doing, while replacing a broken headlight bulb was the task motorists were least likely to be able to complete.
Which of the following car maintenance tasks would you feel confident you would be able to carry out?
| Top 10 Car Maintenance Tasks |
| 1 | Replace a headlight bulb | 39% |
| 2 | Top up brake fluid | 41% |
| 3 | Change a flat tyre | 46% |
| 4 | Jump start a battery | 46% |
| 5 | Top up engine coolant | 47% |
| 6 | Change a windscreen wiper | 52% |
| 7 | Check tyre tread | 66% |
| 8 | Check tyre pressure | 75% |
| 9 | Check oil | 79 % |
| 10 | Top up screen wash | 83% |
| None of the above | 7% |
The survey also revealed that older drivers were consistently more knowledgeable on how to perform car maintenance tasks than their younger counterparts. Older drivers were almost three times more likely to be able to change a flat tyre than those aged between 18 and 24.
| Car Maintenance Tasks: Young Drivers Vs Older Drivers |
| Task | Young Drivers (18-24) | Older Drivers (55+) | |
| 1 | Change a flat tyre | 22% | 61% |
| 2 | Jump start a battery | 23% | 63% |
| 3 | Replace a headlight bulb | 23% | 49% |
| 4 | Top up brake fluid | 31% | 55% |
| 5 | Change a windscreen wiper | 31% | 64% |
| 6 | Top up engine coolant | 32% | 63% |
| 7 | Check tyre tread | 44% | 77% |
| 8 | Check tyre pressure | 52% | 86% |
| 9 | Top up screen wash | 74% | 90% |
| 10 | Check oil | 77% | 87% |
| None of the above | 8% | 6% |
However, there may be a simple reason why older drivers are more likely to be able to carry out straightforward maintenance tasks on their car than younger drivers; they are twice as likely to have read the car’s manual. Only a quarter (25%) of 18 to 24 year old drivers have read the manual to their car compared to over half (53%) of drivers aged 55+.
Matt Oliver, from Gocompare.com car insurance said, “It seems that younger drivers have a lot to learn from older motorists when it comes to car maintenance with simple tasks like changing a windscreen wiper often leaving them scratching their head. What drivers may not realise is that they have a legal obligation to ensure that their car is kept in a roadworthy condition, so knowing how to check the tread on your tyre or change a headlight will help you avoid getting a fine or points on your licence. In the event that poor car maintenance leads to an accident it could also invalidate your insurance.
“Performing regular checks can help keep down the cost of running a car, a well maintained vehicle is less likely to break down and knowing how to perform some of these quick fixes means not paying a mechanic to do them for you.
“With young drivers generally paying more for their car insurance, taking some time to sit down with their car manual and learning how to perform a few basic maintenance jobs could help them to reduce their running costs.”
