Drivers would give up beer, take aways and eating out to keep their cars
Wednesday, 01 July 2009
British drivers would sacrifice going to the pub, having take-aways and eating out rather than give up their cars, research by car insurance company swiftcover.com reveals. In fact a third of drivers (36%) would run their cars on recycled chip oil to cut their motoring costs.
Almost seven out of ten (69%) drivers say their motoring costs have increased in the last 12 months, leading motorists to consider a range of sacrifices to save their cars.
- 28% would sacrifice going to the pub instead of giving up their car
- 26% would stop buying electrical gadgets such as TVs and iPods
- 21% would stop having take aways or eating out
- 15% would give up buying new clothes and furniture
British drivers love their cars so much they'd consider various ways of cutting their motoring costs - some more unusual than others.
- 36% would run their cars on recycled chip oil to save money on their motoring
- 34% would use public transport to cut costs
- 31% would buy a tiny city car such as a Smart car to slash costs
- 27% would join a car-sharing scheme for the commute to work
- 13% would swap their nice car for a dirt cheap banger
- 6% would be paid to have their car covered in sponsorship adverts
Tina Shortle, marketing director for swiftcover.com, says: "Brits must really love their cars if they're willing to give up their trips to the pub, take aways and in-home entertainment. The fact that they'd also be willing to run their motors on chip oil or trade down to an old banger confirms that even more."
"Swiftcover found that 69% of drivers reckon their motoring costs have increased over the last year - with most of them blaming the government and the high cost of fuel and road taxes. But drivers don't need to go to the extremes of sacrificing their leisure activities or covering their vehicles in adverts to save money - simply shopping around for cheaper motoring essentials like car insurance, petrol and servicing can save hundreds of pounds."
swiftcover.com's essentials for saving money on your motoring
- Always shop around for car insurance quotes - Don't just accept the renewal price from your existing insurer, prices are going up so always check what else is on offer
- Search for cheaper petrol ? Sites like www.petrolprices.com help you find your cheapest station, which could save you £s on a tank full
- Don't use a main dealer for servicing ? If your car is out of warranty, find a recommended local garage via a website like www.weknowcars.co.uk
- Get an MOT from your council ? Council garages carry out MOTs but not repairs, guaranteeing you a fair test. Check www.yourarea.gov.uk for your nearest garage
- Don't be a boy racer ? Driving fast and speeding away from the traffic lights drinks petrol, so moderating your driving could help you save £500 a year on fuel
- Don't pay for what you don't need ? Lower insurance costs by ditching extras you don't need, such as overseas cover and car hire supplements
- Drive green and save money ? Swiftcover encourages environmentally friendly driving by giving drivers a 10% discount on insurance for greener cars
- Cut out the junk ? Hauling around a boot full of unnecessary junk will increase your fuel use, so get rid of what you don't need and save money on petrol
- Keep your car in good nick ? Good engine maintenance, keeping your tyres inflated correctly and fixing stone chips in windscreens will save you money in the long term
- Lose the roof rack ? Even when it's not being used, the roof rack causes drag and increases your use of petrol
Research was carried out amongst 872 drivers in July 2009
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For press enquiries please contact:
Joshua Van Raalte or Paul Beadle
Brazil (PR agency for swiftcover.com)
01865 556 000
swiftcover@agencybrazil.com
About Swiftcover.com:
Based in Cobham, Surrey and employing over 350 people, www.swiftcover.com started trading in June 2005 and was born out of a desire to revolutionise the general insurance market.
swiftcover.com offers car, travel and pet insurance online, and is Britain's only insurance company without call centres, which means that the cost savings can be passed directly onto the customer and premiums are kept low. In 2008 swiftcover.com featured as the cheapest insurance quote on the comparison website moneysupermarket.com more often than any other insurer.
This powerful operating model combined with successful marketing and competitive pricing has proven to be a tremendous success. In 2008 swiftcover.com achieved over half a million live policies and in May 2009 sold their one millionth policy. They are considered to be the fastest growing insurer in the UK.
In 2007, AXA UK acquired swiftcover.com. It is now a wholly owned subsidiary of AXA Insurance UK PLC which forms part of AXA Group.
About AXA:
AXA UK is a part of the AXA Group. AXA is a world leader in financial protection. AXA's operations are diverse with major operations in Western Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific area. AXA employs 120,000 staff and tied agents and, as of June 30 2006, had €1,091 billion in assets under management. AXA reported total IFRS revenues of €72 billion and IFRS underlying earnings of €3,258 million for the full year 2005. Our previous company performance is not a guide to how we may perform in the future.
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