An estimated 28 million petrol and diesel car drivers will take to the roads during December to visit friends and family or buy gifts – each forking out more than £280 on fuel in the process.
As a result, a fifth intend to leave the car at home ‘as much as possible’ and will actively reduce the number of trips they make over the festive season, claims a new study.
Commissioned by EDF Energy, which offers a GoElectric tariff for charging electric vehicles at home, the research also found 40% think petrol and diesel is ‘too expensive’.
But more than a third of the 2,000 motorists polled feel they’ve no choice but to pay so much for fuel because they’re so dependent on their cars – especially this time of year.
The study also revealed that the financial burden of driving a petrol or diesel car is not the only thing motorists are worried about.
Their carbon footprint is also a concern, with an eighth claiming they don’t intend to travel over the festive period in order to keep emissions down.
For the same reason, a sixth of drivers have arranged to get a lift with someone else travelling to a nearby location. And one in 10 have booked a more sustainable mode of transport to get to their destination.
The study also found electric car owners will spend £184.32 on average when charging their vehicles during December – £99.36 less than than those with diesel or petrol vehicles.
Perhaps as a result, a third of fuel car owners think they will purchase an electric car at some point next year.
And around a quarter of fuel-car drivers, polled via OnePoll, said they would consider switching to an EV if they knew how much money they could save.