CarGurus reveals top three factors that push drivers to the “breaking point” with their existing cars
10-day wait for repairs and fewer than three faults are enough to make drivers reach “breaking point” to find a new car
Drivers are willing to spend an average of £14,320 on a new car: 1,752% more than the £772 breaking point to maintain a current vehicle
50% of motorists have made unexpected trips to the garage in the past year; 40% are putting off repairs because of cost
Nearly three-quarters of motorists are stressed by the prospect of unexpected repairs
CarGurus has listed the best used car buys for drivers who have reached their “breaking point”
An unexpected car repair bill of £772 is the “breaking point” for drivers to part ways with their current vehicle, according to a newly released report. CarGurus – a leading automotive marketplace in the U.K. to shop, buy, and sell used vehicles – commissioned a survey of 1,000 U.K. drivers that own cars without a warranty. It revealed the unexpected problems that would be enough to make Brits consider buying a replacement car, rather than repair their current vehicle.
Drivers are willing to tolerate fewer than three faults and spend an average of £772 over the next 12 months on unexpected repairs. In addition, on average, they’re only willing to wait a maximum of 10 days for an unplanned repair to be carried out.
Should the “breaking point” be reached, owners would spend an average of £14,320 on a new car – £13,548 (1,752%) more than they would spend to fix unexpected issues to keep their current car in good order. This data comes during a time when the average age of vehicles on U.K. roads is now up to nine years, a full year increase compared to 2019i.
Reliability (57%) and costs (45%) are the top reasons today’s drivers say they would want to replace their old car, reinforcing the “breaking point” factors. Other reasons include safety concerns (20%), being able to afford a better car (20%), and the size being unsuitable (12%).
Survey data showed that 50% of U.K. car owners have made unexpected trips to the garage in the past 12 months. Outside of scheduled servicing and M.O.T.s, U.K. drivers spend an average of £269 per year on unplanned repairs according to the CarGurus survey. This is on top of £427 spent on average per year on planned maintenance such as servicing and M.O.T.s.
40% of respondents said they are putting off repairs because of the cost, and cars are being driven with issues such as dashboard warning lights, smoking exhausts, rattling engines, worn tyres, and rust.
Nearly three-quarters (72%) of drivers surveyed said they are stressed by the prospect of unplanned car repairs and 90% rely upon a garage to carry out repairs for them.