Drivers with five-year-old cars are the most likely to have to claim on their car insurance, according to analysis from Virgin Money Car Insurance.
Its database shows 9.6 per cent of all motor claims were from drivers with five-year-old cars with four-year-old cars narrowly behind.
Indeed, cars aged between three to six-years-old account for nearly 40 per cent of all claims despite making up just 24 per cent of cars on the road, says Virgin Money Car Insurance.
Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders shows 7.425 million of the 31.167 million cars on UK roads are aged between three and six years old.
But Virgin Money Car Insurance's analysis of its own database shows they make up 37.3 per cent of all claims.
Cars aged 10 years account for over 6 per cent of all claims, the Virgin Money Car Insurance database shows.
However drivers with new cars less than a year old were unlikely to have to make a claim, accounting for just over 2 per cent of all claims.
"Drivers tend to change their car every three to five years and on this evidence they have some justification,” said Grant Bather, spokesman at Virgin Money
Car Insurance
"This is not to say that cars five years old are the most dangerous, but that they are more likely to be involved in an incident that leads to a claim being made. This may be a traffic accident, breakdown or theft.
"Looking at these statistics, people looking at buying a second hand car should also make sure that they have taken the necessary action to ensure that the car meets all of the road standards."
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