According to a study from the insurance company, 20% of car owners leave valuables worth more than £150 in full view in their cars. A further 12% admitted having more than £350 worth of valuables on either the front or rear seats of the car. 7% of car owners said they often forget to store expensive personal items in the car boot and 6% revealed they sometimes forget to lock their car altogether.

The survey showed that the most likely items to be left on show in the car include: clothes for the office (17%), sports equipment (13%), important documents (10%), work files (10%), mobile phone (10%), iPod/MP3 player (4%) and laptop (2%). Many car owners treat cars like a second home and do not store goods safely.

Spokesperson for Prudential Car Insurance Gill Murphy says: “With the average cost of an iPod, work suit and laptop totalling around £900, drivers without adequate insurance who leave these items lying around could face a hefty bill if their car is broken into. What is also concerning is the 6% of car owners who actually forget to lock their car at all – providing thieves with easy pickings.”

As a result of these findings, the insurance company has particularly raised concerns about identity theft as car owners often forget that leaving sensitive documents, such as bills and bank statements, in sight could make them vulnerable to opportunistic thieves.

1,002 adults took part in the Prudential survey between March 23-25.

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