Almost a third of drivers in Northern Ireland are unable to perform basic car maintenance tasks such as changing a tyre or checking oil levels, a new report has revealed.

A survey, conducted by insurance retailer Open + Direct, found that women motorists scored particularly poorly when asked simple questions from the DVLA's practical driving test.

While 27% of all respondents admitted they could not complete any of the tasks, the figure for women was 44% compared to just 8% for men.

Only half of the females surveyed said they knew how to check oil levels. More than 60% had little or no awareness of how to change a tyre.

The survey claimed 77% were clueless on the procedures involved for recharging car batteries.

However nearly a quarter (23%) of women claimed to know how to check tyre pressure levels.

The poll surveyed 1,006 adults aged between 16 and 65.

Colin McEvoy, director of operations at NI Open + Direct, said: "These results are real cause for concern.

"It is important to have basic car maintenance knowledge to not only pass your test but also to ensure your car is safe to drive and is in a road worthy condition.

"Our survey shows that women's car maintenance knowledge is a great deal more limited than men's. We'd urge drivers to put the necessary measures in place to ensure this worrying factor becomes a thing of the past."