How to spot counterfeit car parts as fake components worth £1bn are imported to Britain each year

Batteries, airbags, wheels and brake discs among the common fake parts sold

Updated: 01:00 EDT, 23 October 2024

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Motorists are being warned to steer clear of counterfeit car parts being sold at a fraction of the price of genuine components.

A government-backed poll has found that one in six drivers have purchased fake parts in the last 12 months as rogue sellers are importing over £1billion worth of knock-off parts to Britain.

Below the Intellectual Property Office - the Government agency that manages company trademarks and copyrights - gives its five tips to identify if a part sold online is real or fake.

A new Government campaign is warning of the dangers of drivers buying counterfeit car parts, which could be life threatening. It comes after City of London Police raided a premises in East London last month where fake Mercedes-Benz airbags were being sold

The Government's new 'Fake Always Breaks' campaign launched this week is designed to alerts drivers to the life-threatening dangers of buying counterfeit vehicle parts.

It has received the support of the automotive industry, including repair bodies the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation and the Independent Garage Association and vehicle manufacturers, such as Mercedes-Benz.

The City of London Police's Intellectual Property Crime Unit has also backed the campaign having recently seized 500 counterfeit car airbags during a sting in East London.

'Fake airbags aren't manufactured to industry standards, so there's a real possibility that they won't inflate during a road traffic collision, or will deploy in error,' warned Detective Chief Inspector Emma Warbey after the haul of fake airbags was tracked down last month.

Which car parts are commonly fakes?

Many of the most commonly purchased fake car components pose 'significant safety concerns' if faulty.

These include batteries (bought by 25 per cent of motorists who admit to buying counterfeit parts), tyres and wheels (23 per cent) and windscreen wipers (19 per cent).

Around one in seven (14 per cent) drivers who have purchased fake car parts bought counterfeit airbags, while over a tenth (12 per cent) bought fake brake pads or discs.

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Although the report found that many purchases are being made unknowingly, most (58 per cent) said they did so with the knowledge that the part was likely not a genuine manufacturer component.

Most of those who chose to buy fake items said they did so because they felt there was 'no discernible difference in appearance' to the real thing (34 per cent), while a similar number said it was simply down to the lower price (31 per cent).

For those who unknowingly buy knock-off parts, many only discover this after it has triggered an issue.

More than two in five motorists (45 per cent) who bought and fitted a counterfeit component thinking it was genuine found out it wasn't the real thing after taking it to a garage because it had faulted.

Another 30 per cent only become aware when their vehicle is in for routine service checks.

Miles Rees, IPO's deputy director of enforcement, said: 'Fake car parts are illegal to sell and are very dangerous for motorists and other road users.

'While they may look the same, they are often made from inferior materials and are not safety tested.

'This increases the risk of failure and can lead to life-changing or life-ending consequences - a risk not worth taking.'

Miles went on to say that this time of year makes it even more important to ensure you're only buying genuine parts.

'As we enter the darker, colder, icier months, driving can become more hazardous. This is why it is now more important than ever to highlight the dangers of fakes to motorists and help make every journey as safe as it can be, ' he added.