One in three motorists will not claim on their motor insurance following an accident, a study by Royal & SunAlliance found.

Fear of losing no claims bonuses and the fact that claims are often worth less than the excess means that 36% of motorists would rather fix the problem themselves or simply not repair the damage at all, the report said.

Drivers are prepared to pay £235 out of their own pockets to fix the damage, and one in 10 is ready to shell out £500 to avoid making an insurance claim.