According to a poll of over 2,000 British motorists, just 27 per cent of 18 to 23-year-olds can change a tyre and over a third of millenials would struggle to even open the bonnets of their cars.

A further 34 per cent had no idea what power steering does and only half of the under 35s know how to check and top up the oil level on their car, reports The Sun.

Unsurprisingly from these figures, 63 per cent of millenials have therefore never tried to fix, repair or modify a car they have bought.

Gus Gregory, host of TV show Flipping Bangers which ran the poll, commented: “Most people get into their cars, turn the key and drive away, without really knowing anything about the reasons why something goes wrong when it does.

“Under-35s least equipped”

“It seems under-35s are the least equipped to deal with basic issues and repairs such as changing a tyre or replacing a windscreen blade.

“We think it’s a good idea for everyone, no matter what age, to learn the basic and normally most vital principles of car maintenance.

“As seen in our show, Flipping Bangers, even some of the simplest mechanical knowledge can turn an old and rusty banger into a beautiful and iconic car.”

Shockingly, more than 10 per cent of the under-35s surveryed believed that power steering is designed to help the car brake and that the same amount had no idea that ABS stands for “anti-lock braking system”.

Ironically, more younger people rated their general knowledge of car parts and maintenance as “excellent” despite the evidence from the survey where 40 per cent would struggle to know how to top-up their levels of screen-wash.