Motorists missing out on almost £100 million of insurance discounts

UK motorists are missing out on insurance discounts worth almost £100m a year by not parking in their garage, according to research from Saga Motor Insurance.

Only 56% of motorists have a garage, and less than half of these (24% of the total) say they regularly park their car in a garage, instead leaving their car in a more vulnerable position on the drive or road.

The excuses people give for not using their garage varies - but 1 in 5 people said they didn't use their garage because it was too small for their car. This reason is supported by the fact that cars are growing ever larger. For example, the new VW Golf is 13cm wider than the original Mark I model; and, the latest Ford Fiesta has grown by over 8cm since 1995. In fact the current best selling cars range between 1.6m-1.8m wide whilst the recommended width for a new garage is only 2.6m, which doesn't leave much room for easy access.

Another reason for not parking in a garage is the amount of 'junk' we have - with two thirds of people saying they didn't use their garage because it was too full of household items. In fact, 71% of people said that they kept their junk in the garage.

However, the Saga generation drivers, those aged 50 and over, appear more conscious of their car security and the opportunity to save money - with 70% of those with a garage using it for their car.

Andrew Goodsell, Chief Executive, Saga commented: "People are leaving their cars out on the streets at the mercy of opportunist thieves, vandals and the British weather! By clearing out their garage to make room for their car they could make a significant saving on their motor insurance."