Revealed: The UK’s Car Damage Hotspots

As the number of cars on the road reaches record highs in the UK, along with the US-style ‘battering rams’ doubling in the last decade, drivers need to brace themselves for the ‘repair reckoning’.

SMART repairs are becoming increasingly popular, particularly with the rise in vehicles on the road. The faster turnaround and lower overall cost have seen motorists turn their back on traditional bodyshop repairs.

As such, The SMART Repair People has analysed 8,995 repairs over the previous 12 months to reveal the UK’s car damage hotspots, along with the makes topping the leaderboard for the most repairs.

London and Nottingham top the list for the UK’s car damage hotspots

The research shows motorists in London and Nottingham are facing the most vehicle repairs, with 987 and 192 repairs in the last 12 months in each city, respectively.

It’s no surprise that London tops the leaderboard, as almost half of London drivers say their vehicles have been damaged over the past 12 months. In fact, a fifth of motorists in the capital say they have had their car vandalised in the last year.

London has also been awash with car crime epidemics, which could explain why a large number of motorists are turning towards SMART repairs – particularly as they are often significantly cheaper than traditional bodyshop repairs.

Nottingham takes second spot as the UK’s worst city for vehicle repairs

Following behind London is Nottingham, with a total of 192 repairs or around a repair each day in the city.

Nottingham takes second place, likely due to the high number of vehicles registered in the city, as well as the volume of commuters into the city. The data could also suggest that due to the number of vehicles, there is a higher proportion of accident-prone drivers.

Oxford rounds up the top three for the most accident-prone drivers

Following close behind when it comes to vehicle repairs is Oxford. There were 167 recorded SMART repairs in the city alone, which could suggest motorists in this city are also some of the most accident-prone, or they are facing some of the biggest causes of SMART repairs.

Some of the most common reasons for vehicle repairs in this city include knocks from other motorists, dents from the likes of shopping trolleys, tight parking spaces and busy roads, particularly with more cars on the road than ever before.

Motorists down south are facing the most vehicle repairs

According to the number of vehicle repairs in the last 12 months, drivers in the south could be deemed the ‘worst’. In fact, the top three counties with the largest number of vehicle repairs are all within the south of the UK.

London and the West Midlands take centre stage, with Kent and Hertfordshire also making an appearance.

Birmingham is the reason behind the high ranking for the West Midlands, with 158 repairs in the city. Dudley and Coventry also closely follow, with 81 and 55 repairs respectively. Dudley has recently recorded a spate of vehicle vandalism incidents, with residents even fearful to park on their own streets.

In Kent, Maidstone and St Peter’s are responsible for the highest incidents of damage, with 78 and 71 repairs. St Peter’s could be due to the large number of commuters travelling to the town, leading to vehicle damage due to parking and congestion issues.

In Hertfordshire, Stevenage takes the top spot for car damage hotspots with 78 repairs. St Albans comes second with 73. Again, this could be another case of tourists coming to the area and a lack of suitable parking potentially causing damage to vehicles in the area.

West Yorkshire also makes an appearance as the only northern county in the top five. That title is down to motorists in Leeds, with 129 repairs in the city. Bradford and Huddersfield round up the top three cities in the county for the most vehicle repairs.

The MOST repaired vehicles in the UK

Over a period of 12 months, there were 950 repairs completed on BMWs. That equates to around three SMART repairs each day up and down the UK.

While this could be down to the popularity of BMWs on the road, it isn’t the most registered make in the UK. That title lies with Ford, which suggests that one of the reasons for the high number of vehicle repairs could be down to those driving the vehicle.

Interestingly, Ford drivers do take second spot for the total number of repairs. There were 731 repairs recorded on Ford vehicles in 12 months. However, Ford – more specifically the Ford Puma – has seen the highest number of registrations in the UK so far.

In third spot is Mercedes, with 699 repairs recorded in the last year. Recent reports have revealed that BMW, Ford and Mercedes drivers are said to ‘drive the most aggressively’ out of all other motorists, with BMW and Mercedes drivers, in particular, said to drive too fast. Ford and BMW drivers were also rated as ‘bad at parking’, which could be one of the many reasons as to why these vehicles have received the highest number of repairs.

However, on the flip side, these vehicles do often have more use due to popularity and, due to SMART repairs often being cheaper than a bodyshop, it could be why more motorists are turning to these repairs.

Dan Judge, Managing Director of The SMART Repair People, said, “We can see that cosmetic vehicle damage is an everyday issue for motorists. Whether that be from commuting into busy cities, tight parking spaces or even minor knocks from cars down your street, we are seeing a rise in the demand for SMART repairs.

“These types of repairs are becoming increasingly popular as they allow minor scratches, scuffs and dents to be repaired on the same day, at their chosen address, without having to replace entire panels, saving motorists time and money.

“While it’s hard to avoid accidental damage, we do recommend repairing any visible damage on your vehicle as soon as possible, particularly as it could prevent problems becoming more costly and developing further in the future.”

Methodology:

The SMART Repair People analysed a selection (9,000 repairs) from their total repairs, from 25th June 2025 to 25th June 2026. They analysed the repairs in UK counties, cities and repairs across models and manufacturers.