Drivers are being warned that having damaged alloy wheels could end up costing you £270 to fix at your next MOT test.
It comes as new research from car manufacturer Skoda shows more than a third of motorists are driving vehicles with damaged alloys.
Skoda claims there are 13million damaged alloy wheels in Britain - and a collective bill to repair every single one would come to £890million.
The Czech car maker says the average price of fixing just one alloy wheel is £67.50 - this means motorists face forking out £270 to fix four.
Skoda asked ten wheel repair businesses how much it would cost to fix alloys.
A spokesperson from the AA told the Mirror that damaged alloy wheels can cause an MOT failure if the tester believes it could lead to your wheel or tyre coming detached.
This includes if there is buckles, fractures or a welding defect where the wheel is clearly and obviously damaged, and also applies to steel wheels.
Failed parallel park attempts and hitting raised pavements are just some of the most common ways alloy wheels get dented and scraped.
While a damaged alloy doesn’t just look bad, it can wreck your tyres and even cause steering tracking problems with a car.
And despite the high number of damaged alloy wheels, a third of drivers claimed to be very confident when parking.
Have you been hit by an unexpected MOT bill? Let us know in the comments below
Skoda said: “Part of the problem could be down to their preferred type of parking manoeuvre, with almost half saying they would rather bay park compared to just 18% who see parallel parking as the better option.”
In more driving news, motorists have been warned they could by hit by a £100 fine and three licence points thanks to an upgrade to motorway cameras.
This applies to motorway drivers using a shut lane, normally marked with a red 'X' on an overhead sign.
Drivers must now also display a new UK number plate or £1.50 sticker on their car when driving into mainland Europe as part of post-Brexit rules.
Previously, Brits had to put a GB sticker on their car before travelling to another country, except if they had a number plate that also features these initials, underneath the Union Jack.
