It’s the magical black stuff that helps keep most vehicles running, but British motorists are ignorant to the importance of engine oil according to a new survey.

Data collated by repair specialist Kwik Fit has found that one in five motorists never check their engine oil level and of the 19 per cent who freely admit that they don’t look after their car properly, 8 per cent, around three million drivers, don’t know how to do it. The other 11 per cent are probably worse, admitting that they know how to check their dipstick, but that they never do it.

Most motor manufacturers advise their owners to check the engine oil levels at least once a week, but only eight per cent of motorists are checking the oil once a fortnight. Three out of five drivers say that at least three months go by without checking their oil, and a gear-grinding 8 per cent allow a year to go by before they check the oil.

Women are the biggest culprits, with 14 per cent admitting to not knowing how to check engine oil levels, compared to two per cent of men. It seems also that the younger drivers don’t know basic car maintenance, with 10 per cent of those aged 18-34 unable to check, compared to older drivers, aged over 55, at 6 per cent.

"Good quality oil is vital for maintaining a smooth running car and regularly checking the oil level is a very easy way of monitoring an engine's health. If the oil level drops from the highest to lowest mark on the dipstick in under 1000 miles, we would recommend getting the engine checked over,” said Roger Griggs, Kwik Fit Communications Director.

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