The number of over-50s carrying out basic car maintenance has almost halved in the last five years, according to a survey.

Just 10% of older car owners are likely to attempt basic repairs on their vehicle compared with 17% in 2007, the survey by Saga Motor Insurance found.

Five years ago, a Saga poll found that 60% would take their car to the garage if it needed comparatively easy problems fixed such as a change of battery or an oil filter.

The latest poll showed this figure has risen to 77%.

Among the over-50s, Londoners are the ones most likely to eschew DIY on their car, while vehicle owners from north-east England are the ones keenest to try to fix problems themselves.

The poll of more than 9,000 Saga customers also showed that those with cars more than 10 years old were almost twice as likely to attempt their own repairs than those with vehicles less than a year old.

The fall in numbers could be attributed to the increasing complexity of cars, involving more and more sensitive electronic systems that are more difficult to deal with than older mechanical systems.

Just 2% of women, compared with 15% of men, were likely to do DIY on their cars, but 16% of men have to take their vehicle to a garage after failing in their attempt to sort out their problem.

Just 3% of over-50s would now ask for help with repairs, compared with 7% five years ago.