Car steering wheels carry twice as many germs as toilets, new research has revealed.

Tests showed that steering wheels averaged 41,600 germs, compared with just 17,400 on a toilet seat.

Yet only 13% of people clean their cars regularly, with 45% rarely cleaning them and 5% never bothering at all.

According to supermarket giant Tesco, which commissioned the research, Scots keep cars the cleanest, with 25% cleaning their vehicle at least once a week.

In contrast, only 10% of motorists in southwest England clean their car once a week.
On average, men clean their cars 14 times a year, while women manage 12 cleans.

Those aged around 55 clean the most, with 60% claiming to wash their cars at least once a month.
Daniel Kyle, car care buyer for Tesco said: "People spend a lot of time in the car cabin and are in constant contact with the wheel, so naturally germs are passed on.

"If food or dirt is transmitted onto the wheel and not regularly cleaned, then the germs multiply, and pretty quickly you can be left with an area more unsanitary than a toilet."