Roadside Assistance Survey & Statistics 2022

Modern cars come with an array of systems to help safeguard against potential breakdowns. From the simplest, like a noisy alarm if you leave the headlights on, to the more sophisticated light-sensors to turn headlights on and off - cars are designed not to leave their owners stranded.

But for every safeguard, the odds are still alarmingly high of something going wrong. To understand just how prominent breakdowns still are, and what Australians are doing to prevent them, we surveyed 915 participants 18+ (who own a car, and have driver’s licences) through Pure Profile.

Budget Direct’s own data show that Mondays were the most likely day for a roadside callout. This could correlate to drivers leaving lights on, or a car parked over a weekend or holiday, and finding a flat battery as they head to work.

Summarising the locations in Australia where Budget Direct Roadside Assistance was called, and Point Cook in Victoria takes the cake. In fact, our entire top 10 list makes up suburbs in Victoria and New South Wales.

An astonishing 20% of our survey participants have experienced a breakdown or malfunction in their car within the last 12 months. Over 50% have experienced at least one within the last 4 years. Only 18% of participants had never experienced a breakdown.

Going by state, South Australians seem to have the highest rates of having experienced breakdowns or malfunctions - with less than 10% of respondents having never experienced any. Over in Victoria, almost 23% of participants have never experienced a breakdown or malfunction.

Females responded has being far more likely to have never experienced a breakdown or malfunction. Over 22% of female participants have never experienced either, compared to less than 14% of male participants.

*Participants who responded to Q3.1 with “I’ve never had a breakdown” were omitted from this question, so only participants who have experienced a vehicle malfunction or breakdown were included. Participants were able to select multiple answers, meaning results may add to more than 100%.

Matching findings sourced from Budget Direct’s own callout data, flat batteries were the most common reason for a car to be undriveable, followed by mechanical failures and flat tyres.

Interestingly, participants whose most recent breakdown was within the last 2 years were far less likely to have experienced a flat battery. Also, drivers whose last breakdown was 3-4 years ago were far more likely (than the average Australian participant) to have experienced a flat battery. This could indicate that batteries will typically fail every 3-4 years at a minimum, so it’s unlikely they will have failed within the 12 months of taking this survey. However, mechanical failures or breakdowns are less predictable by time, so experienced higher rates within those experiencing failures within the previous 12 months (due to less battery events saturating results).

*Participants who have “Experienced a flat battery” were those that selected “Flat battery” in Q3.2. Participants indicated by “I’ve never had a breakdown” were those that selected “I’ve never had a breakdown” in Q3.2.

Car batteries will generally last around 3-5 years, which aligns with around 75% of answers from our respondents. Over 10% believed that batteries in modern cars will last for at least 8 years.

Comparing those who have experienced flat batteries, and those who have never had any form of breakdown, some interesting trends emerge. 27% of those who have never had a breakdown believe that batteries will last over 6 years, compared to around 20% of those who have experienced a flat battery. Similarly, around 69% of those who have never had a breakdown believe batteries will last 2-6 years, compared to almost 80% of those who have had a flat battery. 

These results indicate that respondents who have previously experienced flat batteries were more knowledgeable, and more likely to correctly select the right expected lifespan of a battery. Equally, those who have never had a breakdown were not as accurate at measuring the likely age of a battery, and could be less prepared for a battery malfunction.

Almost 70% of participants 18+ (with licences and at least 1 registered car) have checked the pressure in their tyres within the last 6 months. Roughly 15% will check less frequently than once per year, and 8% had never checked their tyres’ pressures.

Tasmanians had the lowest rates of checking tyre air pressure, with almost 15% having never done it. Queenslanders seem the most alert of the air in their tyres, with over 81% of participants having checked within the last 6 months.

Again, a trend emerges between those that have never had breakdowns, and those that have experienced a flat tyre. Only 6.4% of participants who had experienced a flat tyre have never checked air pressure, compared to almost 14% of those who have never had a breakdown. This again indicates that participants who have previously never had a breakdown may not be performing the checks required to help keep cars safe and mobile on the road.

Staggeringly, over 30% of participants couldn’t recall having ever changed the battery in their car, and another 6% have had their current battery for at least 4 years. While modern alternators can do a good job at reviving batteries while moving, the physical components of a battery will still decay, meaning their lifespan shouldn’t be overestimated.

Drivers who responded as having previously experienced a flat battery were the least likely to have never changed their battery. However, 20% of this population still believed they’d never changed the battery, indicating that either someone else changed it for them (and they selected “Never”), or their existing battery was recharged. Therefore, while it should be assumed that drivers who have not previously broken down due to a flat battery probably had younger, and less risky batteries, these results can’t be confirmed.

On a 5-point scale, Australians surveyed averaged 3.03 for their comfort changing a wheel following a tyre bursting. However several key variables impacted this average. Male respondents had an average nearly twice as high as women (3.97 and 2.11 respectively).

Tasmanians responded with the highest levels of comfort - which seems odd given they also had the highest rates of never checking their tyres’ air pressures. South Australian participants recorded the lowest average for comfort changing a wheel.

A clear correlation appeared between the age of a participant, and their likely comfort changing a wheel. Participants 18-24 were the least comfortable (averaging 2.59), compared to participants 55-64 and 65+ (each averaging over 3.1). This shows that younger drivers are less comfortable changing wheels. This could also correlate to younger drivers also having the highest rates of being unsure of the condition of their spare wheel.

In a lot of circumstances, drivers surveyed who haven’t previously had a breakdown weren’t as proactive with their car maintenance. Participants who have previously had a flat tyre had far higher rates of checking air pressure than those who haven’t ever had a breakdown. Similarly, they were more sure of the condition of their car’s spare tyre, and had higher rates of confidently indicating their spare was in good, drivable condition.

By recording both a lower average for comfort changing wheels, less idea of how long batteries will last, and less familiarity with the car’s spare, participants aged 18-24 seemed the least prepared for potential breakdowns.