Duncans, Timothys, Charlies and Helens make most car claims

Hammond and Clarkson

Duncans, Timothys, female Charlies and Helens are the most accident-prone drivers, analysis of car insurance claims has found.

Some 19.5% of Duncans have made claims - not all of them because they were at fault - while 19.2% of Timothy's have done so, according to data from MoneySuperMarket.com.

As for insurance policies registered to women named Charlie, 22.8% of them have seen claims, while 20% of those linked to drivers named Helen have claims attached to them.  

Jeremy and Richard also appear in a list of the 20 male names with the most motoring claims but James is missing - a fact likely to please James May of Top Gear fame.

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Traumatic and costly

Kevin Pratt, insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: "Being involved in an accident, no matter how minor, or whether you're at fault or not, can be a traumatic and costly experience. Our research shows the average claim value for an 'at fault' accident is nearly £3,000, and claiming for either 'not at fault' or 'at fault' accidents will drive up annual premiums, typically adding around £33 on average."

He added: "Even if your name doesn't feature in the top 20 name claims list, if you've had to make a claim on your insurance, it makes it even more vital to shop around for the best deal on your cover at renewal. Insurers all have different ways of pricing based on risk and some might be more lenient than others, especially to win your business."
 
The top 20 name claims list

1. Duncan 19.5%, Charlie 22.8%
2. Timothy 19.2%, Helen 20.0%
3. Nicholas 18.7%, Clare 19.6%
4. Julian 18.6%, Lindsay 19.6%
5. Jeremy 18.6%, Carolyn 19.5%
6. Imran 18.2%, Suzanne 19.3%
7. Simon 18.1%, Ruth 19.2%
8. Geoffrey 18.0%, Claire 19.0%
9. Greg 17.8%, Kathryn 19.0%
10. Roger 17.7%, Melanie 19.0%
11. Grant 17.4%, Beverley 18.9%
12. Stewart 17.3%, Rachael 18.8%
13. Richard 17.3%, Caroline 18.8%
14. Terence 17.3%, Michelle 18.7%
15. Iain 17.1%, Frances 18.6%
16. Alistair 17.1%, Carly 18.5%
17. Stuart 17.1%, Fiona 18.5%
18. Neil 17.1%, Lynne 18.4%
19. Philip 17.0%, Alison 18.4%
20. Ian 17.0%, Rosemary 18.4%

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