The average UK car owners are prepared to travel a distance of 5.7 miles to get their car serviced, according to new data from whocanfixmycar.com.

The most common distance travelled was between two and three miles. Of those surveyed, 46% said they would travel more than four miles and 15% said they would be prepared to travel over 10 miles.

WhoCanFixMyCar.com has over 10,000 drivers using its website to connect with 7,000 registered garages across the UK.

Alex Rose, whocarfixmycar.com marketing director, said: “It’s clear there are plenty of drivers who are prepared to travel further to keep their car in top condition.

“The implications are obvious: a garage’s pool of customers is much larger than the business may have previously imagined.”

Unsurprisingly, city dwellers (and Londoners above all) travel shorter distances - with rural drivers 65% more likely to travel even five miles or more.

The biggest deciding factor for driving further afield was specialist work or cost. Over half of respondents said a garage with good reviews would also prompt driving further to service their car.

Rose said: “It’s clear that when the job requires specialist attention (such as a complex car audio install) or is more costly (such as a replacement clutch) drivers are prepared to travel that bit further - either to ensure great service or, possibly, on the premise of a cost saving.

“However, when it comes to ‘commoditised’ work, such as new tyres, car owners just aren’t prepared to invest the drivetime on something that could be resolved locally.

“The learning for garages: if you have something special to offer, you should find ways to spread the word beyond your immediate neighbourhood.”