Almost a fifth of motorists think servicing their car is a ‘complete waste of money’ and have admitted to only doing so when they can afford it, rather than when recommended, research by Manheim Auctions has revealed.

As the cost of driving increases, cash strapped motorists are spending their money on legal requirements such as road tax, insurance and the MoT test, with servicing becoming a ‘nice to do’ not a ‘need to do’.

These worrying findings also show that over a third of motorists think of their car maintenance skills as poor or very poor, relying on either the garage, their dad or partner for help.

Interestingly, 70% of motorists think car maintenance should be incorporated into the driving test to ensure new drivers know how to keep their vehicle safe.

The survey was conducted by One Poll in May 2011 with 3,000 respondents.