Around 15% of British motorists admit they have driven a car they were not insured to drive, according to research by comparison website Moneysupermarket.

The survey found 9% of drivers had flouted the law in someone else’s car and 6% had driven their own car without cover.

Men are more than twice as likely as women to drive while uninsured, with 21% admitting doing so. The survey also reveals younger drivers are the worst offenders, with 23% of those in their twenties and a fifth of thirty-somethings saying they have driven without cover, compared to just 10% of drivers in their 50s.

Richard Mason, director of insurance at the price comparison site, said: “Anyone who drives without insurance, no matter how short the distance and whether it’s their car or someone else’s, is breaking the law. Not only that, but it costs the insurance industry over £500m each year in claims, which drives up the cost of insurance for responsible motorists.

“While the cost of insuring a car can be high for young males, they shouldn’t be attracted by the false economy of skimping on insurance.”

If caught without cover, uninsured drivers can get a £200 on-the-spot fine, six points on their licence and their car impounded. Uninsured drivers are 10 times more likely to have a drink-driving conviction and six times more likely to be driving an unsafe vehicle and 160 deaths on UK roads each year involve uninsured driving.

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