More than a third of motorists are driving vehicles with damaged alloy wheels, new research has suggested. The data also points out that 56 per cent of these damaged wheels came from hitting kerbs, suggesting that there are 13 million kerbed alloy wheels on the UK’s roads today - and they would cost more than £890 million to repair.
The research of 2,000 motorists by Skoda UK based the average cost of repairing a kerbed alloy wheel at £67.50, which came from the average of 10 quotes from wheel repair businesses. Further analysis shows that the majority of UK drivers only have themselves to blame for the need to have their wheels repaired, with 83 per cent of respondents saying the damage was caused by someone in their own household.
Despite such a high number of kerbed alloys, a third of drivers say that they’re very confident when parking - though a similar number admitted to striking another vehicle or object when pulling up. Pulling into a designated bay is seen as the most preferable way of parking, with 45 per cent of people saying that they would rather park this way than any other. Just 18 per cent said they’d rather parallel park.
Though kerbing an alloy can knock the aesthetics of a car, it can also have more serious consequences. Hitting a kerb can damage a tyre and increase the chances of a blowout Worse still, the car’s tracking can be knocked out resulting in uneven tyre wear and steering wheel vibrations.