Nearly half (47%) of UK motorists would go into debt to fund repairs for their car, according to the results of a survey conducted by WhoCanFixMyCar.com.

The insight was revealed through analysis of a sample of more than 1,000 British motorists by WhoCanFixMyCar.com and co-founder Al Preston said that, while he considered maintaining and repairing a car as vital, he "couldn’t believe" the percentage of people that would be willing to go into debt to pay for repairs.

“Debt is something which has become ever-more-present over the last 10 years, and it’s surprising to see how many people would happily go into more debt for their cars,” he said.

The WhoCanFixMyCar survey also found that more than half (51%) have had to repair their brakes, whilst more than a quarter (27%) have had to correct their wheel alignment.

Just 26% of people asked said they had replaced their cambelt since owning their cars, meaning that nearly three quarters (74%) of cars are being driven with a potentially worn cambelt.

Cambelt repairs cost, on average, £332.91 in the UK, whilst average repair cost for clutch replacement, the most expensive repair in the UK, sits at £750.54.

The second most expensive repair is timing chains, with an average cost of £578.38, followed by gearbox repairs, which have an average cost of £570.96.

The average cost for each of these repairs by area can be found online. 

The most common repairs were brakes, batteries, and wheel alignment, with 49%, 73%, and 74% never replacing or repairing these parts respectively.

The most expensive jobs through the WhoCanFixMyCar.com site are car body resprays, with an average cost of £847.51, however these do not qualify as traditional repairs.

Preston said: “Surveying our motorists is something we like to do semi-regularly, and some of the findings this time around have been amazing. The fact that nearly three quarters of people haven’t had their cambelt replaced is worrying to say the least."