Analysis conducted by accident aftercare firm AX has found that rear-end collisions account for 22.5% of all accidents.
The second most common accident type was being hit while the vehicle is parked and unattended, accounting for 21.8% of all accidents.
Half of all accidents occurred while a vehicle was stationary or in slow-moving traffic.
AX found that electric vehicles (EVs) are more likely to be hit while parked, with 31.8% of all EV accidents occurring while the vehicle is parked.
It said that this may be due to EVs being more likely to be used in urban environments.
EVs are less prone to rear-end collisions, accounting for 21.4% of all EV accidents compared to 23.5% of all petrol car accidents.
AX said that hybrid vehicles have the highest proportion of accidents attributed to a third-party pulling out of a side road, at 11.5%.
Scott Hamilton-Cooper, chief commercial officer at AX, said: “These findings reveal how driver behaviour and vehicle technology continue to evolve.
“It’s clear that while EVs bring benefits in terms of safety features and lower emissions, they also display unique patterns of risk.
“Understanding those nuances helps us not just to manage claims efficiently, but also to educate drivers about how best to prevent avoidable accidents.
“We have a wealth of data which we can present to our dealer, fleet and insurer partners to help them manage risk.
“But if an accident occurs, we ensure they remain mobile and that their vehicle is repaired and back on the road as soon as possible.”
