Cash strapped drivers who’ve increased their voluntary excess on their car insurance policies in order to bring the cost of their car insurance down are increasingly finding themselves in difficulty as they’re unable to afford the excess payment following a claim, according to research by Axa Insurance. The study conducted by Axa Insurance has found that an increasing number of motorists are unable to afford the cost of repairs on their vehicle following an accident after having increased their excess on their policy. Increasingly, motorists are raising their voluntary excess, with Axa finding that in the last two years, 10% of drivers have increased their excess to help lower the cost of their annual premium. The number of drivers unable to cover the cost of their excess and then authorise the repairs on their vehicle climbed to 61% in 2011, according to Axa. The figures are especially worrying as this signals that there are potentially un-roadworthy vehicles being driven on UK roads, and also vehicles that are likely to deteriorate as a result of unrepaired damage. Axa Insurance found that 29% of drivers don’t have any savings to draw upon in order to cover their excess costs in the event of an accident, while almost half of those who took part in the study, 48% have less than £500 on average, while 34% have access to less than £200 in savings. Insurance experts warn that placing a high voluntary excess of your car insurance policy in order to reduce the cost of the overall premium could work out as a false economy should you need to make a claim. It’s recommended that drivers set a realistic excess which wouldn’t leave them short should they need to pay out following an accident.