Eighty per cent of Bay of Plenty motorists recently surveyed by Canstar Blue New Zealand believe uninsured drivers have no business driving on the road.

Canstar's latest consumer satisfaction survey also shows in the past three years, 69 per cent of Bay drivers lodged claims due to car accidents, with 22 per cent of those involving uninsured drivers.

According to Canstar Blue New Zealand, 69 per cent of all car insurance claims lodged within the Bay of Plenty in the past three years were due to vehicle accidents. Photo: File

Ten per cent of local drivers surveyed also said they'd had valuable personal items stolen from their vehicles, but the survey's results show only six per cent had lodged insurance claims. There were also zero claims in the Bay lodged for stolen vehicles.

In regards to the types of policies taken out by Bay drivers, third party is the preferred with a result of 51 per cent.

But four per cent of local motorists have let their insurance policies lapse in the past 12 months, with 50 per cent of respondents saying this was due to financial reasons.

In total, 723 Kiwis across the country who currently pay for car insurance and made claims in the last three years were surveyed as part of the Canstar commissioned survey undertaken by Colmar Brunton.

The results show strong national support for all drivers in New Zealand to be insured, with 82 per cent of the 723 respondents believing ‘uninsured drivers have no place on the roads'.

In total, 68 per cent of respondents lodged claims due to accidents, with 24 per cent of those involving an uninsured driver. Five per cent lodged claims for items stolen from vehicles, and four per cent for stolen cars.

Nationally, 62 per cent of Kiwi drivers have third party insurance, while eight per cent had let policies lapse in the past 12 months, with 61 per cent citing financial reasons for their decision.

Based on the survey's results, AA Insurance was also named overall winner of the Canstar Blue Customer Satisfaction award – Car Insurance for the fourth year in a row now.

The insurance company was rated 5-stars by its customers in every category across the board - the only insurance provider in the survey to do so.

Canstar Blue NZ uses market research to determine customer satisfaction ratings across a range of products and services to help consumers make the best purchasing decisions for their needs.