It is not greedy garages, the price of paints, or even referral fees. When it comes to insurance costs, the public places the blame firmly at the foot of insurance fraudsters.

That is the finding of a recent survey of public opinion on motor insurance, carried out for the Insurance Times, by market research company Consumer Intelligence.

In a survey of some 1,700 drivers, 91% of respondents said motor insurance premiums were too high and 97% said price was an important or very important factor when it comes to choosing a policy.

Around one third of those surveyed said they were not aware of any issues with regard to referral fees, but in contrast a whopping 94% of respondents said they believed fraudsters and criminals were to blame for the high cost of motor insurance.