Four-in-10 Brits haven’t driven for work since January 2021

The pandemic has had a huge impact on our driving habits, with new research suggesting 40 per cent of Brits haven’t driven for work since January 2021.

On top of this, a quarter said they had driven less for work compared with before the pandemic.

The survey of over 2,000 British people found that driving less wasn’t restricted to business, with 38 per cent saying they’d driven less for leisure than before.

Official figures from the Department for Transport’s National Travel Survey show that the average number of miles travelled for commuting declined 37 per cent to 799 in 2020. This was down 43 per cent on 2002.

Mike Todd, CEO at Volkswagen Financial Services UK, which conducted the survey, said: “With the advent of hybrid working, rising fuel costs and a more sustainably minded population, the typical motorway commute is becoming a thing of the past for thousands of people.”

Elsewhere in the study, 73 per cent said they would have to change their driving habits in some way if the price of fuel continued to rise, with 41 per cent saying they’d have to drive less.

Rising fuel prices would have a significant effect on younger people in particular, with 90 per cent of under 34s saying they would have to alter their driving.

When it comes to paying for fuel, 78 per cent say they spend less than £50 per week, but those living in the north are more likely than any other region to spend more than £50.

Car manufacturers are increasingly switching their line-ups to electric vehicles, and sales of such vehicles are on the rise. The fuel price crisis has many considering whether to make the switch from petrol and diesel for their next car, with 35 per cent of respondents saying the recent price rises mean they’re more likely to buy an EV in the future.