A BMW may be a "must have" car but many motorists see it as a "must avoid" vehicle on the road, it has been disclosed.

BMW owners were regarded as the worst drivers, a poll by used-car website Compucars.co.uk showed.

The biggest faults motorists found with BMW drivers were unawareness of others and a lack of concentration.

They were also seen as aggressive, rude and prone to road rage and often tended to drive too close to the car in front.

Drivers of Ford cars were seen as the next-worst motorists, followed by Volvo drivers.

Looking at category of drivers rather than the actual vehicles they own, the poll of just over 1,000 people showed that van drivers and young people were considered the worst drivers.

They were followed by taxi drivers, old people and mothers on the school run.

London drivers were reckoned to be the worst on the roads, followed by motorists in south-east England and the West Midlands. Sunday drivers were seen as marginally worse drivers than those travelling in the rush hour.

Only 19% of those polled considered women to be better drivers than men.

Compucars.co.uk group marketing managing manager Rob Queen said: "BMW drivers unfortunately are left tarnished with the same brush, due to a minority of bad drivers."

Urging BMW drivers to work on their driving etiquette, he went on: "For example, just saying thanks for being let through a space by another driver will score several brownie points and takes no effort at all."