Car maintenance queries up 87% as lockdown restrictions ease

As lockdown restrictions start to ease off in the UK, drivers are discovering that their cars require essential maintenance due to being out of use for weeks, new research reveals.

Analysis of search trends data conducted by car leasing specialist AMT shows that queries for issues like seized brakes, flat batteries and deflated tyres have increased substantially across the UK since the lockdown began, as most commutes halted due to Covid-19.

The research shows that drivers are concerned about the repercussions of not using their car regularly, as searches for ‘not using car’ have increased by 85.7% since February, while ‘storing car’ and ‘long term car storage’ terms have risen by 81.8% and 40%.

Most drivers are looking to combat seized brakes with searches up by 90.9%, while queries for a 12V car starter have risen by 75%. It seems that car batteries are a prevalent problem for drivers, with searches for ‘flat battery’ (62.9%), ‘car battery’ (46.9%) and ‘jump leads’ (25.6%) also up.

The findings also imply that Brits are having to shell out on new components to restore their car to a good condition, as queries for ‘new car battery’ and ‘car battery online’ have increased by 21.9% and 21.7% respectively.