Motor customers miss out on £100m savings jackpot

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

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 one in five 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.

The current best selling cars range between 1.6m-1.8m wide, while 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' individuals have - with two thirds of people saying they did not use their garage because it was too full of household items.

In the survey, 71% of people admitted that they kept their junk in the garage.

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."