News Published on : 19-Oct-2021 11:52:47

More than a third of UK motorists could be driving cars with damaged alloy wheels with over half of these caused by hitting a kerb research from Skoda has shown. The problem which is often caused when parallel parking accounts for more than 13 million damaged alloy wheels in the UK - the single biggest cause of alloy wheel damage. Based on an average repair price for a single alloy wheel of £ 67.50 the total collective expense for UK motorists would come to more than £ 890m to fix all alloy wheels damaged by kerb impact. The system which uses sensors to find a suitable parking space steers itself into the space as the driver focuses on braking and accelerating ensuring the car is parked a safe distance from the kerb reducing the risk of damaged alloys. Motorists can t blame fellow road users for the scuffs and scrapes on their wheels as 83% of drivers said the damage had been caused by someone in their own household according to Skoda s data. As well as affecting the appearance of the car the impact of a wheel on the kerb can lead to further issues such as tyre damage and even tracking problems with a car. Despite the high number of damaged alloy wheels a third of drivers claimed to be very confident when parking. Part of the problem could be down to their preferred type of parking manoeuvre with almost half (45%) saying they would rather bay park compared to just 18% who see parallel parking as the better option.