Women save £140 a year by getting under the bonnet
Rising cost of motoring encourages more women to repair their own vehicles Over a quarter of women are confident of doing repairs on their vehicle60% of women said they had carried out at least one basic repair or maintenance task on their carOnly half would send their car straight to the garage if they found a problem
The increasing cost of owning and running a car is forcing more women to get ‘under the bonnet’ of their cars. Research from the RAC has shown that nearly two thirds of women are happy to get their hands dirty and do their own car maintenance, putting an end to the stereotypical opinion that looking after the car is something just for the boys.
RAC’s poll of over 2,000 drivers found that 60% of women said they had carried out at least one basic repair or maintenance task on their car. Also, more than a quarter (27%) said they were confident doing repairs on their own vehicle, which they estimated saved them £141 a year. In comparison, over half of the men surveyed (56%) said they felt up to the job of repairing their own vehicle, saving them about £155 a year.
The rising cost of motoring has meant that more drivers are taking a DIY approach to car maintenance, and it seems that women are no exception. Almost a quarter of those questioned claimed to have changed a broken light bulb on a vehicle, while more than half (54%) said they carried out regular checks on their water and oil levels.
One in five checked their tyre pressures and treads on a monthly basis, and 2% even described themselves as ‘DIY car maintenance experts’, only marginally fewer than men (2.5%).
Not wanting to be taken for a ride by rogue mechanics, female drivers are becoming more wary of the cost of repairs with nearly one in four (22%) believing that ‘garages are out to rip-off unsuspecting motorists. It seems the days of calling up a mechanic at the first sign of trouble are now dwindling, as only half of the women (47%) questioned would be willing to send their car straight to the garage if they found a problem with it.
RAC patrol Louise French says: “It’s great to see more girls are getting to grips with their cars and taking on repairs and maintenance themselves. Doing simple repairs, asking friends or relatives for help or advice and taking extra care with vehicle maintenance are all now commonplace as drivers look for any way possible to cut the cost of running their cars.”
