The average British driver wouldn't make a claim on their insurance for any damage unless the repair bill exceeds £667, research has revealed.
The most common reason for not claiming is because drivers believe the cost of the excess would be higher than the repairs themselves, closely followed by fears that it would bump up future premiums, according to comparison site, finder.com.
In fact, 11 per cent of those polled said they wouldn't claim for anything under £1,000, including two per cent who would pay up to £5,000 worth of damages themselves.
Shockingly, 5 per cent of those polled – the equivalent to 1.83million drivers - say they would never make a claim, despite having to pay for it every year as a legal requirement in the UK.
The average British driver wouldn't make a claim on their policy for any damage under £667
The most common reason for not claiming was that drivers thought the cost of the excess would likely exceed the cost of repairs, with 51 per cent of drivers listing this as their reason to not claim.
Following this, 46 per cent of drivers were concerned that claiming would increase their premiums in the future while 44 per cent were worried about losing their no claims bonus.
A further 22 per cent said they wouldn't submit a claim because it was too much hassle.
On the other hand, almost 8 per cent would claim for any damages worth up to £100 and two per cent of these would claim for any damages, no matter how small the cost of repair.
Overall, the research found that 95 per cent of drivers say they would claim on their insurance if necessary.
The amount of damages before claiming differs significantly for each gender. For women the damages would have to come to £567 before claiming, whilst men would not bother to claim until repairs reached a further £193 - £760 on average.
Similarly, residents in regions around the UK have differing views on this too.
For those living in Northern Ireland repairs would have to cost only £448 before claiming, while at the other end of the scale Londoners wouldn't claim until the damages reached over twice this amount at £921.
The East Midlands had the highest number of residents who said they would never claim on their car insurance, with 7 per cent of residents saying they would do this.
Unsurprisingly, the younger generations are more likely to not claim as a way to avoid increased premiums on already expensive insurance.
Gen Z would wait until damages reach over £1,000 on average before doing so, while 7 per cent of millennials say they would never claim on their car insurance.
Those in the 'silent generation' - born between 1928 and 1945 - are less concerned about these issues and would claim when damages reached £437 on average.
Younger drivers are less likely to make a claim to avoid their premiums rising even higher
Danny Butler, Insurance specialist at finder.com, said: 'If you combine the compulsory and voluntary excess levels with the potential of losing your no claims bonus and facing increased premiums, the long-term financial outlay isn't always worth it for many who suffer a minor accident.
'In addition, there's usually a number of hoops to jump through when making a claim such as using an approved repairer or submitting detailed evidence of your claim.
'However, if you've been unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident, it's still important that you drop your insurer a quick line even if you choose not to claim. You should let them know the details of the event and be clear in the fact that you don't wish to claim on the insurance.
'If you don't notify your insurer, you run the risk of invalidating your insurance which can result in you being uninsured for any future claims.'
The research was based on a survey conducted in March of 2,000 people.
A quarter of claims are made by car owners whose vehicles have been damaged while parked and unattended, figures from one insurer suggest
Drivers hitting parked cars most common accident claim of 2020
Separate research from Admiral has revealed that hitting a parked and unattended car accounted for 26 per cent of all accident claims last year, an increase of more than two per cent compared to 2019.
Claims for being hit in the rear or hitting another driver in the rear accounted for 24 per cent of accidental damage claims over the year, a fall of 3 per cent.
Admiral submitted an FOI request to police forces across the UK to find out if more motorists were caught breaking the rules of the road in 2020, compared to 2019.
It found that, of the police forces who responded to the request, 70 per cent saw an increase in the number of motorists that were either caught speeding, driving without due care and attention, or driving furiously.
In total, 60 per cent of the police forces reported an increase in the number of motorists charged for driving without due care and consideration.
Of those, on average, police forces reported a 46 per cent increase in the number of motorists charged for the offence.
February was the month with the highest increase in motorists caught driving without due care and consideration, with a 150 per cent increase reported in February 2020 compared to February 2019.
The data also uncovered that of the police forces who responded, Surrey had the highest increase for motorists convicted of driving without due care and consideration with a 188 per cent rise last year, compared to 20195.
Meanwhile, 30 per cent of the police forces reported an increase in drivers caught exceeding the statutory speed limit. On average, September was the month with the highest rise in this type of offence.
Of those, on average, police forces reported a 51 per cent increase in the number of motorists charged for speeding.
West Mercia had the greatest spike in the number of motorists caught breaking the speed limit with a 162 per cent increase last year, compared to 2019.
Admiral submitted an FOI request to 45 police forces across the UK and had 33 responses in total.
