Saturday 2nd July was the day you were most likely to damage your hire car in 2016.

Pulling data from our records for all of 2016 revealed that the 1st April (no, this isn’t a joke) came in second place, followed by 31st March in third.

It makes logical sense why a day in July was number one as many people are away on holiday, but having two dates in and around Easter in second and third is a little harder to explain. We would have expected other dates in July and August to be up there.

Regarding the reasons for claiming, we found parking to be the most hazardous of activities for car hirers, with a whopping 44% of all claims being parking-related. And of these, almost a quarter were when the vehicle was parked, emphasising the need to have excess cover in place even if you yourself are a safe driver.

Almost half the claims were categorized under general collisions or accidental damage, and an unfortunate 1% involved an incident with an animal.

Over one in ten claims were for damage to the tyres, windscreen or undercarriage of the vehicle. This is something we always advise people to check when collecting their vehicle, as there may be pre-existing damage that you then become liable for.

Ernesto Suarez, CEO and founder of iCarhireinsurance.com, said: Unfortunately a hire car can be damaged at any time of the year and not just during the summer holiday season. It pays to always protect yourself against damage with an excess insurance policy, so you’re not paying the rising high excess charges that we see across Europe now. When just a small prang in a car park can cost hundreds to fix an excess fee of around £1,500 can soon be eaten up with repairs.