MORE than a third of Britain's motorists could be driving cars with damaged alloy wheels, with over half of these caused by hitting a kerb, research from Skoda has shown.

The problem, which is often caused when parallel parking, accounts for more than 13 million damaged alloy wheels in the UK - the single biggest cause of alloy wheel damage.

Based on an average repair price for a single alloy wheel of £67.50 the total collective expense for UK motorists would come to more than £890 million to fix all alloy wheels damaged by kerb impact.

As well as affecting the appearance of the car, the impact of a wheel on the kerb can lead to further issues such as tyre damage and even tracking problems with a car.

Despite the high number of damaged alloy wheels, a third of drivers claimed to be very confident when parking.

Part of the problem could be down to preferred type of parking manoeuvre, with almost half of the 2,000 respondents in the survey saying they would rather bay park compared to just 18 per cent who see parallel parking as the better option.

Skoda says its Park Assist system helps make parking safer by automatically steering the car into a parking space ensuring the car stops a safe distance from the kerb, reducing the risk of damaged alloys.