Unplanned repairs leave four-in-10 drivers without cars for a day or more

With the average age of UK cars now at an all-time high of nearly 10 years old,* new research from the RAC has found four-in-10 drivers (39%) have had their main vehicle off the road for a day or more due to unplanned repairs in the last 12 months.**

While a third of these drivers (32%) were without their cars for no more than a day, this meant most (68%) had to endure two days or more without their wheels – with just over one-in-10 (13%) being vehicle-less for a week or more.

Almost nine-in-10 (86%) described the experience of being without a vehicle as ‘inconvenient’, of which nearly half (45%) said it was ‘very inconvenient’. This is explained by new data for the RAC Report on Motoring 2025 shows 80% of drivers would find it difficult to adjust their lifestyle to being without a vehicle. It may also be behind last year’s four-fold increase in bookings of RAC Mobile Mechanics who carry out garage-like repairs conveniently on customers’ drivers rather than at a workshop, keeping vehicle downtime to a minimum.

Drivers aged 44 and under found it hardest to cope with their vehicles being out of action, with 93% complaining about the inconvenience. Among drivers based in rural areas, 51% say their main car being unavailable due to repair work was ‘very inconvenient’ compared to 39% of those who live in the suburbs or on the edges of towns.

The RAC Report on Motoring 2025 research also revealed the cost of simply keeping vehicles on the road has become the most significant financial challenge for UK drivers, with 25% saying the cost of servicing, maintenance and repairs – including replacing tyres – is their biggest concern related to running a vehicle. This is ahead of insurance premiums (24%) and fuel prices (23%) – both of which remain at historically high levels. 

Three-quarters (76%) of drivers say their maintenance and repair costs have increased in the last year, up by an enormous 40 percentage points compared to 2021. Only 2% say maintenance and repair costs have fallen since 2024.

RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader Nick Mullender said: “While the cost-of-living crisis has eased to some extent, the average age of cars on the road is now at its highest ever point at 10 years old. Keeping a car longer can definitely make sense financially but it doesn’t come without risks, especially if you choose to scrimp on servicing, maintenance and repairs. 

“Servicing cars at the correct interval and fixing issues as they arise is by far and away the best advice. Those who choose not to are running the financial gauntlet as any issues that are left to get worse often lead to more expensive repairs when they spectacularly go wrong, often resulting in a very unwelcome breakdown.

“And having a car off the road for any period of time can be problematic, which we believe is why we saw bookings of RAC Mobile Mechanics who can fix cars on customers’ drives, doing away with the need to go to a garage, quadruple to near 100,000 last year. 

“This is perhaps explained by our research showing that for almost nine-in-10 drivers it’s seriously inconvenient to be without a car for any period of time. No doubt this is related to just how important cars are to people’s lives – a point underlined by this year’s RAC Report on Motoring research which once again shows eight-in-10 drivers would struggle to get by without access to a vehicle. 

“Drivers who want to take advantage of having their vehicle serviced or repaired at home or at work to avoid the hassle of having to get to and from the garage should visit the RAC Mobile Mechanics website to make a booking.”

^{* Average age of cars currently 9.5 years according to Department for Transport VEH1107} 

^{** Research for the RAC Report on Motoring was carried out from 4-21 April 2,395 drivers}