The Burrow
Feb 19, 2025
Amid cost-of-living pressures, do motorists still regularly maintain their cars?
According to the car insurance comparison experts’ survey of more than 3,000 people, Australians spend on average AU$1,205 for car maintenance per year, Americans at AU$1,754 (US$1,088), and Canadians at AU$1,778 (CA$1,586).
A higher proportion of Australians owned a car (87%) compared to Americans (76%) and Canadians (77%) which were on par.
But which countries most cared about maintaining and cleaning their cars? These were the findings.
The majority of car owners surveyed claim to service their cars according to the suggested manufacturer schedule across all three countries.
Worryingly, the second-most chosen option was to only service when there is an issue, with a higher proportion of Americans and Canadians admitting that they don’t regularly maintain their car than Australians.
A smaller portion cited only servicing their car when they can afford it.
Australians typically serviced their cars via:
Americans typically serviced their cars via:
Canadians typically serviced their cars via:
Of those surveyed, most car owners said they would clean their vehicles monthly, weekly, and a couple of times a year across Australia, the United States and Canada.
A small proportion cited cleaning their car daily or annually, while only some Australians and Americans admit that they never clean their cars.
Most Australians, Americans and Canadians surveyed agreed cost-of-living pressures have not impacted their car maintenance habits.
Nearly a quarter admit to servicing their car less often and a further quarter said they clean their car less often, too.
About 4% of participants said they have stopped getting their car serviced and cleaned altogether due to cost-of-living pressures.
Compare the Market’s Executive General Manager of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor, warned avoiding essential car maintenance could risk voiding any car insurance claims.
“It’s important to maintain your car regularly according to the manufacturer’s recommendations to ensure safe driving,” Mr Taylor said.
“We have all-too-often seen accidents recorded on dash cameras, such as wheels coming off on the highway or a loss of traction in the rain.
“If it is found that your vehicle, prior to the accident, was not roadworthy, your insurer could potentially deny a claim – potentially leaving you thousands out-of-pocket to pay for your own repairs and repairs of a third party if you are found to be at fault.
“While cost-of-living pressures may push you to put off servicing your car, it’s simply not worth the risk.”
Always read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) to check for the inclusions, exclusions and restrictions before purchasing.
Compare the Market commissioned PureProfile to survey a nationally representative sample of 1,004 Australians, 1,008 Americans, and 1,015 Canadians in December 2024.
Participants who did not own a vehicle were excluded in the results.
Note: Percentages were rounded to the nearest whole number and may not add up to 100%.
