A new study of government crash data from 2016 has revealed which cars are most likely to be involved in a crash, and there are some puzzling models at the top of the list.

The study by GoCompare.com has found that the Toyota Prius suffered the most accidents in according to the most recently available data, with 111 prangs for every 10,000 cars.

Though it is impossible to suggest that there would ever be one particular car more likely to be involved in an accident, perhaps the fact that the hybrid engine Prius has a particularly quiet engine leads to it being more likely to be in an accident, or maybe because it is a favourite of taxi drivers and Uber drivers?

There’s no real rhyme or reason to there being a model towards the top of the list, for example the Citroen Saxo has not been produced for 15 years, but is No.2 on the list.

Of the brands most likely to be involved in an accident, Vauxhall sits top of the list, but there is very little to choose between the top ten, with a range of just eight cars in 10,000 separating the most likely cars on the list.

Despite the figures being published by GoCompare, the company says it seems unlikely that insurance companies take the data into consideration when looking at premiums.

Lee Griffin, a founding member of GoCompare, said: “Cars with smaller engines (under 1000cc) generally fall into lower insurance groups, meaning lower premiums.

“Building up a good driving record and no claims discount in a smaller car means paying less if you do want to move on to bigger, faster cars later.

“Cars with larger engines will fall in to a higher insurance group, as they’re more powerful and therefore seen as riskier on the road.

“It's also worth noting that even if you purchase a high group rated vehicle for very little money, it’s still deemed a high risk and potentially not as safe on the road due to its age, therefore carrying a higher premium.”

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