Road accidents may rise in the coming months as the cost of living crisis could mean more faulty vehicles on the roads, Halfords claimed.
The car parts company issued a warning that hard-up motorists could be avoiding trading in old cars for newer ones, putting road safety at risk.
According to the retailers, the average age of cars on UK roads has increased by more than a year to 8.7 years over the past decade as costs have crept up.
But mechanics at Halfords said this could easily pass the 10-year mark in the coming months as inflation soars and energy bills, petrol prices and food costs leave more people feeling squeezed.
The average age of cars taken in for scrap in the UK is around 13 years, yet recent data has revealed nearly a quarter of cars on UK roads (8.4m) were even older.
Older cars were more likely to develop faults such as brakes failing, which can be dangerous and even deadly if not fixed.
Faulty vehicles were listed as the primary reason for more than 1,200 accidents in 2020, according to the most recent figures from the Department for Transport (DfT).
These accounted for just two per cent of all crashes, although Halfords said this could surge over the coming months and years.
“Based on what we’re seeing in our garages and taking into account continuing issues with the supply of new cars, we believe the average ages of cars will pass the nine-year mark very soon and could even creep above 10 years before the cost-of-living crisis eases," Halfords CEO Graham Stapleton said.
"This presents a real challenge for the Secretary of State for Transport.
"Vehicle reliability has improved in recent years but there is no getting away from the fact that older cars are more likely to develop faults, are more costly to maintain, and are more polluting.
"This represents a risk to road safety, yet another squeeze on motorists' wallets, and a threat to the UK's emissions reduction goals."
