According to Warranty Direct, car parts such as ignition coils are almost three times as likely to fail.

Thermostats are also affected by the icy weather, and 277% are more likely to fail, leading to an average insurance claim of over £200.

Other car components which become less reliable during periods of freezing temperatures include fuel injection pumps and electrically-powered parts such as windscreen wipers and central locking.

Duncan McClure Fisher, from Warranty Direct, said: "This just goes to show that it pays to make the extra effort with car maintenance once the temperature turns chilly.

"The garage bills these failures can cause are not what anyone wants at a time when bank balances are already lean from Christmas spending."

Tighter budgets in the New Year have prompted many people to shop around for their insurance, and one in ten people are now doing their research to find a better deal, according to Swiftcover.com.

Posted by Ruth Bradshaw