New research from Arval PHH has identified the five parts of a vehicle most likely to suffer minor damage during its lifetime. According to the study, the most common types of wear and tear are:

• Excessive damage to alloy wheels
• Damaged front bumpers
• Chipped and cracked glass
• Dents in car doors
• Scratched boot lids

Clive Forsythe, managing director of the company’s business customer division, says: “Three of the top five come from minor impacts caused by tight manoeuvring – it’s clear motorists need to brush up on their parking skills.”

He adds that because this damage is not critical, it often gets ignored by car owners, even though it affects both the resale value and safety. And even negligible problems can grow into much more expensive ones if left unrepaired – windscreen damage being the prime example.

It is equally important for vehicles on contract hire, because companies incur penalties at the end of the lease if the cars and vans have unacceptable levels of wear and tear damage. Repair bills for even these supposedly trivial damages can be somewhere in the region of £200 per car.