Over 23 million motorists delay repairing their cars despite knowing they have a fault, according to a survey released on Monday.

The poll found a third of drivers cited financial reasons for ignoring car defects, with 10 percent of motorists continuing to drive until their vehicle's MOT was due.

Nearly half of respondents preferred to spend money on clothes or book holidays than fix a faulty car.

Over 24 million motorists did not understand the meaning of warning symbols on the car dashboard and nearly half of all drivers - 49 percent - ignored an "emergency" flashing light because they were unable to decipher its meaning.

"Driving a car with a fault, no matter how small it may be, could potentially increase the likelihood of having an accident or breakdown," said Mike Pickard, head of risk and underwriting at insurance firm eSure, which commissioned the poll.

The firm recommended drivers check their dashboard for any warning lights and if unsure what a light meant, check the manual or take the car to the local garage to be looked at.

The survey was based on a poll of 1,000 drivers interviewed between February 5 and 10.