Rising cost of fuel cutting car usage
Nearly a third of drivers say they will use their cars less often due to the rising cost of fuel.
According to research carried out by ChooseMyCar, 29% of respondents said the cost of fuel will result in a reduction of car use, while 27% said they cut down on miles driven.
The increasing cost of fuel is also changing habits of how and when drivers fill up, with 20% saying they will keep their cars more filled up than usual and 17% claiming they are driving slower and more carefully to reduce fuel consumption.
Nick Zapolski, motoring expert and founder of ChooseMyCar.com, said: “The Iran and US situation has gotten worse over the past month or so, and this has bumped up our fuel prices, which have reached higher than £1.57 per litre for petrol, and are approaching £2 for diesel, in many places.
“Understandably, this is worrying news for a lot of drivers. Even though we’ve only seen initial price rises, 70% have said they’ve already been affected by the new increased costs. With various government laws and changes over recent years, drivers have suffered a number of financial setbacks; this is just the latest. As a result, it’s causing millions of drivers to panic buy.
“But, before making any drastic decisions, I urge drivers not to do this. It’s understandable, but there’s not much point. Spikes in prices can lead to petrol shortages, but these issues are usually sorted very quickly. Supply is still flowing normally, so there’s no need to change your fuel-buying habits. At the moment, you’re just queuing up when you don’t need to, and it’s causing stations to run out of fuel.”
