Insurance provider, Admiral, have released a rundown of the most unusual car insurance claims dealt with by their handlers over the last two years – oddly enough, animals seem to figure pretty highly in the list with drivers blaming furry and no-furry friends for a large proportion of accidents.

Peacocks appear in four out of the twelve most unusual claims as listed by the Admiral handlers so if you’re thinking about getting a peacock for your garden, you’d better think twice as these colourful birds often take a dislike to cars. The car insurance claim experts revealed they’d dealt with claims involving peacocks attacking cars on several occasions, usually as a result of the peacock seeing their own reflection in the car’s bodywork and mistaking it for another peacock which they then attack.

Rodents were also listed in the 12 most unusual car insurance claims according to the Admiral poll, with a family of mice blamed for destroying the leather interior of a classic car kept in storage, and a rat infestation was found to cause internal damage to another vehicle after the rodents ate through parts of the engine and wires.

A puppy may seem like an innocent passenger to have in a car, however one claim highlighted by the list revealed that a front seat passenger caused an accident after the puppy the passenger was carrying on their lap fell on the floor and when that person reached down to pick up the puppy, they actually picked up the handbrake instead, causing an accident.

In a separate incident a driver was distracted by an elephant and camel tethered on the side on the road and crashed the car, while another who driver caught sight of a spider in a rear view mirror also had a collision as a result.

Can you top any of these unusual car insurance claims? If so, we’d love to hear your story, drop us a line in the comments box below.