Roof top losses exceed £200 million
- More than six million drivers have driven off with items on their car roof in the last 12 months
- Churchill conducted an innovative experiment to see how long items would stay on top of a moving vehicle under normal driving conditions – with mobile phones fairing the worst
- An estimated £213 million worth of belongings fell off car roofs in 2024
- Over one million drivers left their mobile phone on the roof of the car last year
Six million drivers (21 per cent) accidentally left items on the roof of their car and then drove off in the last year, according to new research1 by Churchill motor insurance, resulting in an estimated £213 million worth of lost belongings. Mobile phones were the most common item left on the roof (21 per cent), with over a million people driving away with their device on the roof last year.
Churchill conducted an innovative experiment2 to see how long items would stay on top of a moving vehicle under normal driving conditions. Mobile phones without a case stay on the roof of the car for an average of just 2.6 seconds making them the fastest item to fall off, with the risk of screen breakage or serious damage. Drivers with a mobile in a rubberised case have a much better chance of retrieving their phone, as in tests a case helped a phone stay on the roof for two and a half miles, driving at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour.
Drivers admit to forgetting takeaway tea and coffee (18 per cent) cups, bags of shopping (15 per cent), kid’s toys (11 per cent) and wallets (11 per cent) on their roofs before driving off. One driver even left an entire joint of beef on the roof before driving off. The average cost of items forgotten on car roofs is £33.48.
Table 1 – Items most commonly left on the roof in 2024
| Items | Proportion of UK drivers who have left an item | Number of people who have left items on roof - (approx.) |
| Mobile phones | 21 per cent | 1,326,000 |
| Takeaway tea or coffee | 18 per cent | 1,143,000 |
| Bottled or canned drinks | 16 per cent | 1,022,000 |
| A bag of shopping | 15 per cent | 945,000 |
| Glasses | 14 per cent | 915,000 |
| Mug | 12 per cent | 778,000 |
| Notebook | 12 per cent | 762,000 |
| Child’s Toy | 11 per cent | 732,000 |
| Wallet or cardholder | 11 per cent | 701,000 |
| Keys | Nine per cent | 610,000 |
| Debit cards or cash | Nine per cent | 564,000 |
| Important documents | Nine per cent | 564,000 |
| Handbag | Nine per cent | 564,000 |
| Laptop | Eight per cent | 534,000 |
| Passport or ID | Eight per cent | 503,000 |
| Takeaway bag | Seven per cent | 427,000 |
| Meal deal items like sandwiches & crisps | Six per cent | 366,000 |
Source: Churchill motor insurance, 2025
On average, once a car starts moving, items typically fall off within 15 seconds. The two items that were most likely to survive a journey on the roof of a car were phones in rubberised cases and takeaway sandwiches, which both stayed on the roof for two and a half miles. Wallets withstood over two minutes of driving. However, the average coffee cup fell off the roof of a car after just four seconds.
Table 2 – Length of time that items remain on the roof of a moving vehicle, in seconds
| Item | Duration on the roof |
| Mobile phone (without case) | 2.6 seconds |
| Child’s toy | 3.3 seconds |
| Takeaway drink | 4.1 seconds |
| Keys | 4.2 seconds |
| A bag of shopping | 4.4 seconds |
| Glasses | 5.5 seconds |
| Book | 6.2 seconds |
| Notebook | 7.2 seconds |
| Wallet | 120 seconds |
| Takeaway sandwich | NA, didn’t fall off |
| Mobile phone (with case) | NA, didn’t fall off |
Source: Churchill motor insurance, 2024
Surprisingly, items that fell off the car didn’t always break. Amongst those who left belongings on the roof, 31 per cent found their phone intact, a quarter (25 per cent) reported their glasses remained undamaged, and one in five (20 per cent) recovered their mug intact.
The most common reason given for leaving items on their roof is being in a rush (33 per cent), whilst over a quarter (28 per cent) simply forgot they’d put it there. Some drivers reported that they put the item on the roof whilst trying to find keys and then left it there (28 per cent), while one in five were distracted by children (20 per cent).
Nicholas Mantel, Head of Churchill Motor Insurance, commented: “Leaving items on the roof of your car isn’t just an inconvenience when they fall off, it’s a serious safety concern. Not only can it cause damage to your vehicle or belongings, but it also poses a risk to other road users. Whether it’s your mobile phone, a coffee cup, or even a joint of beef, unsecured items can lead to accidents and disruptions on the road. Always check the roof before setting off and if you do leave an item and you hear it fall, be sure to take a cautious approach for retrieval.”
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Direct Line Group:
Unni Henry
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Notes to editors:
The research was conducted by Censuswide among a sample of 2,000 UK Drivers across the UK aged 17+. The data was collected between 06 January 2025 - 08 January 2025. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.
The experiment was conducted by Churchill motor insurance at Rushmoor Arena on 26th November 2024. Regular driving conditions included driving on a tarmac road at a gradual acceleration. One full journey consisted of two laps of a 2km circular track (equivalent to 2.49 miles), reaching speeds of up to 40mph.
Churchill
Founded in 1989, Churchill is now one of the UK's leading providers of general insurance, offering car, home, travel and pet insurance cover over the phone or on-line.
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Churchill and UK Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.
Customers can find out more about Churchill products or get a quote by calling 0300 200 300 or visiting www.churchill.com.