Fifth of used cars have hidden damage history with average repair bills of £4,800 - these are the brands and models to watch out for

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Around a fifth of second-hand cars for sale have a history of major damage that cost thousands of pounds to fix - but this is being hidden from potential buyers with no mention of past repairs, according to a new report.

CarVertical, which conducted background checks on tens of thousands of used motors in 2025, says 20.3 per cent of history reports it produced last year showed vehicles having a least one 'damage event' that 'caused physical harm to the vehicle and may have impacted its structural integrity or functionality'.

It said few - if any - of the models listed for sale referenced this important information in the advert wording, especially if broken panels had been replaced or repainted. 

The vehicle history check provider, sourcing information from insurance claims, body shop receipts and vehicle inspection records, says the average value of a single recorded damage event unearthed last year was £4,800.

And analysis of the reports suggests some brands are more likely to have hidden damage histories than others, with almost a quarter of Vauxhalls showing a damage entry when checked last year.

And the data also points to small supermini-style models - those typically used in urban areas and owned by new, younger drivers - are most likely to have damage events hidden in their historical closets.

We reveal the brands and models highlighted most commonly in CarVertical checks as having sustained previous damage.

CarVertical says 20.3% of vehicle background checks it ran on second-hand motors last year showed vehicles having a least one instance of a hidden 'damage event'

CarVertical says 24.7 per cent of Vauxhalls it checked on behalf of customers in 2025 had at least one recorded damage event, making it the most likely brand with this type of hidden history among those analysed.

Vauxhall was followed by Fiat (23.6 per cent), Seat (23.5 per cent), Hyundai (23 per cent), and Ford (22.6 per cent), suggesting that many of the cars British drivers buy for affordability and everyday practicality are also the ones most likely to show signs of past damage.

Among individual models, smaller cars are the ones most likely to show damage history.

The Seat Ibiza was the most frequently damaged model, with 33.6 per cent of those checked showing damage history, followed by the Audi A1 (30.6 per cent) and Fiat 500 (30.1 per cent). 

When it identified examples of severe damage and insurance write-offs, it found that a 'small but important share' of damaged vehicles had repair costs amounting to 50 per cent or more of the car’s market value.

These are the kind of cases that can end in vehicles being classed as insurance write-offs, particularly in Category S or Category N cases. 

While for dealers and traders it is a legal requirement to not mislead consumers and disclose known significant damage or repairs, there is less protection for those who buy cars privately.

'While many damage records are relatively minor, this shows why buyers should not dismiss past accident history as a small detail,' CarVertical said.

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While a history of serious damage does not automatically make a car unsafe, it should change the level of scrutiny on a buyer's behalf. 

For example, if repairs were rushed, poorly documented or carried out as cheaply as possible, the next owner could inherit problems that are expensive to fix and difficult to spot during a quick viewing or test drive.

By highlighting the potential severity of the damage and the section of the car where the repairs have taken place, buyers can pay closer attention to the specific area to ensure the vehicle remains in a roadworthy condition. 

Matas Buzelis from CarVertical told Daily Mail and This is Money: 'Damage is one of the most common issues buyers can encounter in the used car market, and in many cases it affects exactly the sort of models people shop for every day - affordable, practical cars from familiar brands.'

The study also identified the brands with the highest average repair histories.

Unsurprisingly, it was a luxury manufacturer with the highest average of all, with Bentleys having a repair bill of £16,000.

Other notable above-average single damage events are for Teslas (£5,700) and BMWs (£5,200).