Land Rover owners are the worst drivers in Britain, according to new insurance figures released by Moneysupermarket.
According to the data, Land Rover drivers make up almost 50 per cent more at-fault claims than the owners of smaller cars like Vauxhalls and Peugeots, with luxury car drivers the most accident-prone.
More than one in ten Land Rover owners have made an at-fault claim in the past five years, with Lexus owners also found to be significantly more likely to be involved in an accident of their creation.
Audi drivers are the third worst, according to the insurance data, with almost 11 per cent having made an at-fault claim, but drivers of Smart cars live up to the name of the brand by statistically being the best drivers.
Insurance specialists have said that the drivers of luxury cars are more likely to be aggressive behind the wheel, and also less likely to be able to handle the higher power ratings of expensive vehicles.
Kevin Pratt, insurance expert for Moneysupermarket, said: “Cars that cost a lot of money tend to have a lot of ‘oomph’. If cars can accelerate quickly and travel at high speed, there’s a greater risk they might be involved in a collision, either with another car or with a stationary object.
“It’s also probably the case that aggressive drivers will plump for high performance cars and then drive them aggressively, again leading to more accidents.”
However, he also noted that the recklessness of wealthy drivers might not be the only factor, with the stats potentially skewed by fewer claims on behalf of the owners of less expensive cars.
“Someone in a less expensive model might not make a claim and instead pay for the repairs themselves after an accident,” he said, “perhaps to protect their no claims bonus or perhaps because the cost of the damage is less than their excess.
“By contrast, a driver of an expensive car is likely to face a relatively hefty repair bill well above the excess, so they are more likely to make a claim.”
