Australians hate car servicing more than any other automotive chore
Intensely dislike taking your car for a service? You’re not alone, as new data confirms the most dreaded driving jobsThe News
According to new research, taking a car in for a service is the motoring task Australians dread more than any other, with cleaning the cabin and washing the exterior rounding out the top three most disliked automotive chores.
The Key Details
- National survey of more than 1000 Australian drivers
- Almost one in four drivers (23%) nominated servicing as their most dreaded task
- Cleaning the inside of the car ranked second at 21%
- Gen X drivers were the most likely to dislike servicing their vehicle
- Gen Z drivers were most likely to dread cleaning bird droppings and refuelling or charging
The Finer Details
New research commissioned by Money.com.au has found Australians would rather tackle almost any other motoring chore than taking their car in for a service.
The survey of more than 1000 Australian drivers found 23 per cent nominated servicing as their least favourite automotive task, making it the clear winner in the battle of dreaded jobs.
What’s less clear is whether it won the derby of detestation because of wasted afternoons or eye-watering invoices.
Cleaning the inside of the car was a close second, followed by washing the outside of the car. Removing bird droppings from paintwork ranked fourth.
Only a small proportion of respondents disliked routine maintenance tasks such as checking fluid levels.
The full results were:
- Taking the car in for a service – 23%
- Cleaning the inside of the car – 21%
- Washing the outside of the car – 16%
- Cleaning bird droppings off the car – 11%
- Rotating or replacing tyres – 10%
- Filling up with petrol or charging an EV – six per cent
- Checking or topping up oil, coolant or washer fluid – five per cent
- Checking tyre pressure or tread depth – four per cent
- Replacing air filters or worn parts (such as windscreen wipers) – four per cent
The research also revealed notable differences between generations.
Gen X drivers were the most likely to nominate servicing as their most dreaded task, with 28 per cent selecting it. They were also the most likely to dislike cleaning the inside of their vehicle (23%).
Millennials were the most likely to nominate washing the car as their least favourite chore, with 17 per cent selecting the task.
Meanwhile, Gen Z drivers were more likely than any other age group to dislike cleaning bird droppings from their vehicle (14%), while 10 per cent said filling up with petrol or charging an electric vehicle was their least favourite.
The Road Ahead
The findings highlight that while Australians generally accept routine vehicle maintenance is necessary, taking time out to have a car serviced remains the biggest pain point for drivers. Whether the bird poo issue is a genuine concern or was just an easy target for respondents in the survey remains to be seen.
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