Vandals 'costing motorists £650m'

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And more than 7% of them have suffered at the hands of vandals in the last 12 months, the survey from insurer Direct Line found.

The victims' total vandalism bill in 2007 is estimated at £659 million - a rise of more than £100 million on the 2006 figure.

The most common acts of vandalism against cars last year were scratched paintwork and keys being run along a vehicle. These two acts accounted for 43% of all incidents in 2007.

The next worst incidents were damaged wing mirrors and smashed windows.

Based on responses from 4,042 adults, the survey also showed that two thirds of vandalism incidents are at night, while 49% of incidents occurred to cars parked outside owners' homes.

The survey found 58% of victims over the past 20 years have not reported the most recent incident to police but 77% did make a claim on their insurance for the damage caused.

Tony Chilcott, head of car insurance at Direct Line, said: "Car vandalism is a crime which often goes unreported as many victims believe that doing so is a fruitless and frustrating exercise.

"Official figures show that vandalism overall is a growing crime, but as our research shows many acts of car vandalism go unreported, meaning that the actual number will be significantly higher."