You are most likely to write off your car on a Saturday

If you own an insured car, statistics show that you are most likely to write it off on a Saturday. Around 7pm to be exact.

Data collected by King Price Insurance, between January 2021 and May 2023, provides fascinating insight into vehicle write-offs. In insurance terms, a vehicle is written off when it is deemed to be either structurally irreparable or uneconomical to repair, resulting in a total loss.

ALSO READ: When your car is written off, but not paid off

Telling car insurance data

According to the data, 23% of all write-off incidents occur on a Saturday, followed by 20% on Sundays. This means that a staggering 46% of all write-offs occur over weekends.

Saturday and Sundays are followed by Fridays (17%) and Mondays (12%). Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are deemed the lowest-risk days with a combine total of only 28%.

ALSO READ: Ensure your car insurance claims are paid with these tips

The data represents comprehensively insured cars not older than seven years.

Taking it one step further, the data also shows which times during those days represent the highest risk. Early evenings pose the highest probability of a write-off, with 7pm being the absolute peak.

The lowest-risk times are early mornings before 5am.

ALSO READ: Your top 5 questions about car insurance answered

“Our statistics show a weekday spike in write-off incidents around the morning and evening rush-hour times. Especially 7am and 5pm, respectively. This probability is explained by the fact there tend to be far more vehicles on the road during these periods,” says Wynand van Vuuren, client experience partner at King Price Insurance.

Early evenings most dangerous

Van Vuuren adds that multiple-vehicle collisions are the most common cause of write-offs.

ALSO READ: What to know about car insurance policies

“It’s also worth noting the higher risk of write-offs in the evenings is largely driven by weekend occurrences. Rush-hour accidents have a similar effect on weekday morning figures,” says Van Vuuren.

King Price Insurance recommends that motorists limit their travel on higher-risk days and at higher-risk times when possible.

King Price, that has been offering car insurance for over a decade, says keeping your vehicle in a roadworthy condition, driving safely and obeying the rules of the road are all self-evident courses of action in avoiding any possible incidents on the road.