A new study reveals that those drivers who put off having their car serviced to save cash could be costing themselves more money in the long run.

Researcher ICM shows that a full service history on a car could increase its value by 26%.

With the average used car selling for £5,500, the findings indicate that a fully stamped service book could be worth up to £1,500 - over £10 billion to the used car market annually.

It found a third (34%) of the 2026 adults surveyed, said they would not buy any car unless it had a full service history (FSH).

With 2010 seeing the lowest number of used cars sold in a decade – 6.7 million cars according to Experian data – having no service history will make selling a car at a decent price even harder.

32% said they place the same value on a service history from an independent garage as they do from a main franchised dealer.

David White, customer services director at Kwik Fit, which commissioned ICM to do the research, said: “It’s accepted that a fully stamped service book will increase the re-sale value of a car but this research has been able to put a figure on it: £1,500 is a significant number and makes a big difference to the value of a car when an owner comes to sell.

“It’s not just about the end value though, motorists who get their car serviced according to the manufacturer’s recommendations will be rewarded with greater efficiency, better performance and lower on-going running costs."

 White claimed the research highlighted that the gap between the perceived benefit of a dealer over an independent servicing centre is closing.