Car costs force British drivers to cut back on household spending

By CLAIRE SMITH
Published on 01/10/2012 11:05

THE cost of petrol, car insurance and repairs is forcing people to cut back on household spending, according to a new survey.

One third of people in the UK say they could not live without their car while a further third say they would find life difficult without it.

In order to stay on the road a third of motorists say they would spend less on clothes and reduce their social life.

More than a quarter say they would cut back on alcohol and cigarettes, go to the pub less often and spend less on holidays and mini breaks if it would enable them to keep driving.

Pete Harrison, car insurance expert at MoneySupermarket.com which carries out the survey said: “The cost of motoring is an increasingly hot topic, and with the price of fuel recently hitting record highs, it continues to put additional pressures on household finances.

“It’s no surprise whatsoever Brits are making cutbacks to keep their cars on the road – many drivers, especially in rural areas, depend heavily on their cars on a daily basis to get them from A to B, and if the cost of motoring continues to rise as we have seen previously, these cutbacks may become a very significant reality.”