Criminal cars – vehicles with an adverse history – could be a much more common problem on our roads than many car finance consumers might think. According to a new set of statistics released by insurance company More Than, as many as one in every three vehicles on the road could have an adverse history. As well as putting the driver at risk of financial loss, this type of vehicle could also be endangering lives.

The More Than study found that almost a million people could be facing risks from a car with adverse history over the next year. Most commonly, cars of this type have outstanding car finance, which could leave the buyer massively out of pocket. Cars of this type may also have been written off or declared unfit by insurers in the past, meaning they could be dangerous on the road. Theft and the re-selling of stolen cars is also a massive problem.

According to More Than, 60 per cent of British people use the Internet to research the car they are looking to buy, but only one in ten carry out a check on the history.