Simple tasks most Aussie drivers can’t do

Fresh research has revealed the key vehicle-related skills most Australian drivers either lack or just don’t feel confident in performing, and a few lessons could see them saving hundreds on basic car maintenance.

More than 50 per cent of Aussie drivers aren’t confident changing the air filter (58%) or headlight globes (57%) in their car, while around 41 per cent of those surveyed said they weren’t confident changing a car tyre.

The findings come from a study commissioned by insurance company ROLLIN’, which surveyed more than 1000 Australians to reveal car-related knowledge gaps.

Worryingly, 10 per cent of those surveyed said they wouldn’t be confident popping their bonnet, while – perhaps terrifyingly – 5 per cent feel the same about filling up their fuel tank.

Other findings include around 4 in 10 Aussies saying that they’re unsure how to jump-start a car, while 35 per cent of responders admitted they weren’t confident checking or changing their engine oil; which really should’ve been split into two questions because checking your oil is a much simpler process than changing it.

Meanwhile, the results found several gender and age differences in confidence.

In all 18 questions, female respondents were less confident than their male counterparts, with 63 per cent saying they weren’t confident changing a tyre and 77 per cent saying an air filter change probably wasn’t gonna happen.

A quarter of females also said they weren’t sure how to fill their vehicle’s windscreen washer fluid.

Meanwhile, the tasks males were least confident in performing include changing a headlight or air filter, while jump starting a car would be a tough ask for 20 per cent of males quizzed.  

When it comes to age differences, ROLLIN’ said it appears as though confidence comes with age, with those aged between 55-64 much more likely to be able to check/change their oil or know what to do if their vehicle breaks down.

A headlight globe change seems to be a universal mystery, however, with over half of every age group (especially those over 65) unconfident about changing a headlight.

As for the youngens (18-24 year olds), almost 40 per cent said they wouldn’t know what to do if their car broke down.

These aren’t unusual findings either, with a recent survey by Finder revealing a similar trend when it found 7.7 million Australians don’t know how to change a flat tyre, with one Finder car insurance expert saying most people nowadays would prefer to outsource the dirty work.