Also 8% of owners, (3 million), admit to not knowing how to check their oil level, while 11% say they know how to do it, but never do so.
The research has been carried out for Kwik Fit, which has announced an agreement to offer Mobil oil products to all Kwik Fit customers. The deal will see the appropriate product from the Mobil Super™ range used in all of Kwik Fit's service packages and oil changes at its 600-plus centres across the UK.
Ideally, drivers should check their engine oil every week, as recommended by most car manufacturers yet the Kwik Fit study found that even if that interval is doubled to once a fortnight, just 8% of owners meet the recommendation. Over three fifths of drivers (62%) say that at least three months go by between their oil checks, while shockingly 8% let at least a year pass before checking their dipstick again.
The research found a clear difference between the sexes. 2% of male car owners said they did not know how to check their oil, but this figure rose to one in seven (14%) among female owners. There was also a difference between younger and older drivers – 6% of drivers aged over 55 are unsure how to check their oil level on their vehicle, compared to 10% of those aged 18-34.
Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, says: "Good quality oil is vital for maintaining a smooth running car and regularly checking the oil level is a very easy way of monitoring an engine's health. If the oil level drops from the highest to lowest mark on the dipstick in under 1000 miles, we would recommend getting the engine checked over."
Source: Kwik Fit