You face £300 fine & six points if you make silly shopping mistake millions have ALREADY made – know the rules

DRIVERS could look a hefty good and six points connected their licence if they marque a silly mistake with their motor.

According to a caller authorities survey, perchance millions of Brits person purchased a counterfeit car portion successful the past twelvemonth - with galore doing truthful knowingly.

The government's Intellectual Property Office person revealed that parts important for car information specified arsenic tyres, wheels, airbags, and brakes are among the astir often purchased “fake” items.

What's worse is that galore of these are advertised and sold arsenic genuine branded conveyance parts, and drivers are warned these are apt to beryllium made utilizing inferior materials that are not safety-tested.

In a caller survey taken by 1,394 motorists, 1 successful six revealed they had purchased a counterfeit portion successful the 12 months starring up to October 2024.

The astir commonly purchased fake parts included car batteries, tyres and wheels, and windscreen wipers.

What's more, 14% of motorists admitted to buying fake airbags and 12% bought counterfeit brake pads oregon discs, according to the survey.

It was aboriginal revealed that a whopping 45% of those thought the point they were purchasing was genuine, earlier aboriginal discovering it was a fake aft being informed by their garage, usually pursuing a fault.

That means a ample information knowingly bought fake parts for their vehicles, with 31% admitting that redeeming connected outgo was a crushed for making the purchase.

Selling fake parts is amerciable and the IPO, who began a nationalist run connected Monday called Fake Always Breaks to combat to pass consumers to debar purchasing counterfeit parts, urged anyone who suspects a portion mightiness beryllium fake to study the seller to Crimestoppers.

Miles Rees, lawman manager of enforcement astatine the IPO, said: “Fake car parts are amerciable to merchantability and are precise unsafe for motorists and different roadworthy users.

"While they whitethorn look the same, they are often made from inferior materials and are not information tested.

“This increases the hazard of nonaccomplishment and tin pb to life-changing oregon life-ending consequences – a hazard not worthy taking.

“As we participate the darker, colder, icier months, driving tin go much hazardous.

“This is wherefore it is present much important than ever to item the dangers of fakes to motorists and assistance marque each travel arsenic harmless arsenic it tin be.”

The IPO gave drivers a fig of pointers to enactment harmless and debar unknowingly picking up fake car parts.

Their proposal includes being wary of prices that look “too bully to beryllium true” and thoroughly researching the seller.

What's more, genuine parts volition travel with a certificate of Original Equipment, and truthful parts without the certificate are apt to beryllium fake.

Driving with fake car parts installed connected your centrifugal could adjacent invalidate your car insurance.

Naturally, driving without insurance is simply a fixed punishment of £300 and six punishment points, oregon adjacent an unlimited good and disqualification from driving.

Detective Chief Inspector Emma Warbey, from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit astatine City of London Police, said: “Counterfeiting safety-critical car components similar tyres, wheels, airbags and brakes demonstrates the lengths that criminals volition spell to marque money and their disregard for the information of the radical who volition extremity up utilizing these products.

“Our officers precocious seized 500 counterfeit car airbags, which could person enactment motorists astatine risk, during an cognition successful eastbound London.

“Fake airbags aren’t manufactured to manufacture standards, truthful there’s a existent anticipation that they won’t inflate during a roadworthy postulation collision, oregon volition deploy successful error.

“We cognize that the connection of a bully woody tin beryllium enticing, but it’s captious to cognize however to spot the signs of a counterfeit car portion and to bargain from a reputable seller.”