Car Maintenance Confidence
For some of us, the maintenance of our car can seem like a foreign concept, with many of us not knowing what’s going on under the hood. But for others, basic car maintenance can be a breeze - or at least it can feel that way.
As such, the team here at Group 1 Automotive surveyed 1,000 UK drivers to see just how confident we feel about our car maintenance, and if we really know our cars as well as we think we do.
Can we do basic car maintenance?
Our research found that drivers feel most confident in their ability to top up windscreen washer fluid, as over three quarters (77%) believe they could do this without having to search for the information.
After this we’re most confident in our abilities to check our tyre pressure (74%), oil levels (73%), changing wiper blades (59%), and checking our coolant levels (53%).
At the other end of the spectrum, our engine appears to be more of a mystery to drivers as we’re least confident in this area. Under a quarter (23%) think they know how to check their car engine, meanwhile 29% say they can check their engine air filter, and a third (36%) can change their engine oil.
Overall, just over half of drivers (58%) said they know how to do basic car maintenance - although this varies greatly between men and women, with male drivers feeling much more confident in their abilities.
Our survey found that 70% of men feel they know how to maintain their car, versus just 46% of women. And at times this difference grows even more, with men feeling twice as confident as women for certain tasks such as changing a tyre, checking brake fluid and doing an oil change.
See below how men and women’s confidence on car maintenance compares:
Car Maintenance |
% that feel they could do this themselves |
% of men that feel confident in doing it themselves |
% of women that feel confident in doing it themselves |
Top up windscreen washer fluid |
77% |
84% |
70% |
Checking tyre pressure |
74% |
83% |
64% |
Checking oil levels |
73% |
85% |
61% |
Replacing wiper blades |
59% |
73% |
44% |
Checking coolant levels |
53% |
69% |
36% |
Changing a tyre |
48% |
68% |
28% |
Checking brake fluid |
47% |
62% |
31% |
Changing a headlight |
37% |
52% |
21% |
Changing engine oil |
36% |
48% |
23% |
Checking engine air filter |
29% |
44% |
14% |
Checking car engine |
23% |
33% |
12% |
However, after asking drivers how confident they feel about these tasks, we quizzed them on how to perform these - and not everyone got their answers correct.
But is our confidence warranted?
We found that despite Brits feeling confident in certain car maintenance tasks, this may actually be unfounded - as when asked, at least 30% of confident Brits got their answers wrong, raising to 55% for certain tasks.
Although three quarters (74%) of drivers said they know how to check tyre pressure, just 55% of those confident in their abilities got this correct.
To check your tyre pressure, you should remove the valve caps on each wheel, and insert the gauge into the valve. When you see the PSI reading, compare it to what the recommended PSI should be for your vehicle, so you know whether to inflate or deflate your tyres.
However, a third of drivers (32%) believe that when you check your tyre pressure, you push on your tyre until you start to hear hissing - when in fact you push until this hissing stops.
And it’s clear the anatomy of our cars are confusing us, as when it comes to changing car headlights, a quarter of UK drivers (25%) think that you have to detach power cables in a specific order according to their colour, which is not the case, and that you should check your headlights are working while sitting inside your car.
For those wondering how to change a car headlight - it’s recommended that you leave your vehicle to check they are in working order, as you cannot fully see your headlights from inside your car.
When asked how to change engine oil, just 45% of those confident in the task answered correctly.
When performing an oil change, you should first raise your car up on a jack. You then locate the drain plug underneath your car, and place your oil drain pan below. Remove the drain plug and start to drain oil out.
You then should open your hood and find the oil cap, removing this and replacing your oil filter. Once your old oil has drained, you replace the plug underneath your car and pour new oil into the oil filter in the hood of your car.
Use your car’s dipstick to check if the oil reaches the “full” line. You should then lower your car to the ground, and after 5-10 minutes, check your oil level again with the dipstick.
However, over a quarter (27%) of drivers believe you don’t need to jack your car and can simply place your drain pan underneath your motor. They then stated that you then should open your hood to locate the drain plug and unplug it - however the plug is actually underneath your car and would be found there.

The dangers of incorrect car maintenance
Although it may seem unimportant, incorrect car maintenance isn’t without its consequences, as some of these tasks can be dangerous to both your vehicle - and yourself - if done incorrectly.
When asked about how to change a tyre, our research found that the order of the task is confusing Brits, and this can be potentially dangerous.
Over a third (35%) of those confident in changing a tyre believe you should jack your car before you loosen your wheel nuts rather than after. However, you should loosen your wheel nuts when your car is on the ground as it is easier and safer.
Overall, under half (49%) of confident drivers answered this question correctly.
When it comes to the tasks that are stumping us - replacing our windscreen wipers is a struggle. When changing car wiper blades, you should be careful, performing the task with a towel on your windscreen and placing the wipers softly back down onto your windscreen.
However, 34% believe that you need to twist wiper arms by 90 degrees to remove the blades. And when you’ve clipped the new blades onto the arms, you then snap them back down to your windscreen - something that can damage your glass.
Of those confident in performing the task, just two-fifths (41%) got the answer right, while a third (36%) believe the above method is correct.
When asked how to check coolant levels, just over half (57%) of those confident got this correct. When including those who aren’t confident in performing this task themselves, 52% of drivers answered correctly.
Worryingly, a quarter (26%) of drivers do not think you need to wait until your engine is cool before checking your coolant levels, and that you then fill it up to the max line (instead of keeping levels in between min and max).
In fact, a further 15% think you should do this just after driving - something that is dangerous as pressurised hot water can build up inside your expansion tank.

Who overestimates themselves the most?
When it comes to our confidence in car maintenance, our study found that some of us were more likely to overestimate our abilities than others.
When looking at how many were confident in completing different basic car maintenance tasks versus how many answered correctly, we found that men were overconfident in all of the tasks listed.
In one case, a third (31%) of men overestimated their abilities to do a task correctly.
Female drivers also overestimated their knowledge for some tasks such as topping up windscreen washer fluid, checking tyre pressure and replacing car wiper blades, but overall women were more likely to underestimate their abilities.
The majority of male drivers (84%) said they could confidently change their windscreen washer fluid, however, only 62% got it right - with one in five (22%) answering incorrectly. In comparison, 11% of women overestimated their abilities.
Although over three quarters of men (83%) of men said they know how to check tyre pressure, just over half (57%) got this correct. Women also overestimated themselves for this task, as 64% felt confident they could do it despite only 47% answering correctly.
When changing wiper blades, the majority of men (73%) believed they could do this, with less than half of women (47%) believing the same. However, when asked, just 41% of men got the method correct, versus 37% of women. Meaning a third (31%) of men overestimated themselves, versus 7% of female drivers.
When asked how to check coolant levels, 18% of men overestimated their ability to perform this task, as just over half (51%) got this correct. In comparison, just a third (36%) of women thought they could check coolant levels correctly, however, over half (54%) got this answer right.
When asked about how to change a tyre, over two thirds (68%) of male drivers felt confident, versus a quarter (28%) of women. However, our study found that just 51% of male drivers answered correctly, and 34% of women.
Men also were overconfident in their knowledge on changing a headlight (52% were confident vs 48% were correct), and performing an oil change (48% were confident vs 46% were correct).
Meanwhile, one in ten (11%) female drivers underestimated their abilities to change engine oil or replace their car headlights.
“You’re better safe than sorry”
When it comes to maintaining our motors it’s clear that even if we’re feeling confident on the task, some things are better left to the professionals, as sometimes our confidence might be unfounded.
If you’re dead set on doing your own car maintenance, please look up your instructions from a trusted source for your car model and don’t go in with blind faith.
Any servicing or maintenance can be done at your local garage, making this the best option for any more involved car maintenance that you’re in need of - which is a much better option than accidentally damaging your vehicle or yourself.