2 In 3 British Motorists Are Driving Less Due To High Fuel Prices

Two-thirds of British motorists are using their cars less as a direct result of high petrol and diesel prices, according to a new survey by SimpleMotoring.co.uk.

High petrol and diesel prices are driving British motorists off the road, according to a new survey by SimpleMotoring.co.uk. Almost two in three (65.9%) of those surveyed* said that they were using their cars less as a result of high fuel prices.

What's more, more than half (51.4%) of those surveyed said that they had delayed servicing their car to save money over the last three years, suggesting that motorists are being forced to cut corners on safety and reliability for short term savings.

Commenting on the findings, Roland Head, founder of SimpleMotoring.co.uk said:

"Reducing car usage to save money on fuel may well be a good thing – many people use their cars for short journeys which could easily be walked. Cars use a lot of extra fuel on short journeys with cold engines, so avoiding them generates easy savings for drivers.

More worrying is the trend towards delaying or omitting car servicing. Regular servicing is essential to keep cars safe and reliable and it also contributes to a car's resale value – car owners will get less when they sell their car if it has a patchy service history."

When times are tough, saving money on motoring is essential and one of the best ways to do this is to reduce car use and maximise fuel consumption. SimpleMotoring.co.uk has put together five easy tips for car owners to help them shrink their fuel bills: 

1. Plan car usage to combine journeys and avoid using your car for journeys of less than a mile. Walk instead – it's healthier for you and your car and it's free.
2. Keep your speed down on main roads and you will be surprised at how your fuel consumption improves – stick to 55mph on single carriageways and 60mph on motorways for maximum savings without losing much time.
3. Make sure yourtyres are correctly inflated at all times – underinflated tyres cause increased drag and hence increased fuel consumption.
4. Don't carry around unnecessary clutter in your boot and remove roof boxes if they are not in use. The extra weight and drag will increase your car's fuel consumption.
5. Check out the cheapest fuel prices online before you fill up – but don't go out of your way to save 1p/litre – you will end up spending more than this on the extra fuel you use to get to the garage.

ENDS

*735 people were questioned through a website survey on SimpleMotoring.co.uk in November 2011.

About SimpleMotoring.co.uk

SimpleMotoring.co.uk is a motoring website aimed at helping motorists enjoy reliable, affordable and safe motoring. Its target audience is regular motorists – drivers who enjoy their cars but also care about reducing costs and improving reliability without spending a fortune on maintenance.

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