Drivers turning to DIY car upgrades

For many people, cars are much more than a means of transport, with owners often adding a personal flourish to their motor’s appearance.

From spoilers to flashy rims, there are plenty of car modifications out there, many of which require the expertise of a professional.

However, ambitious DIYers are now taking their vehicle’s specs into their own hands, inspired by social media which has made the world of DIY car maintenance more accessible to car owners.

Short-term vehicle insurance company Go

Shorty used Google Keyword Planner to find out how many searches were made for a variety of car DIY keywords, collecting data for different car brands to identify which were most popular for modification and maintenance.

The results showed that tinted windows were far and away the most popular car DIY upgrade, receiving 40,500 Google searches annually – twice the amount of the second place modification search for DIY car wrapping (20,400 searches). Car wrapping refers to the application of vinyl wraps to a car’s exterior, allowing owners to customise the car’s appearance without the need for a costly new paint job.

Steering wheel covers came in third place with 8,410 searches. Spoilers, fog lights, suspension and racing pedals all featured in the top 20, along with more practical DIY issues such as paint scratches and cracked windshield repairs.

The top three cars for DIY customisation were BMW with 120,840 searches, Tesla (110,750) and Jeep (62,530).

For the full DIY search list see goshorty.co.uk/ blog/the-car-diy-report