Car is king for rising numbers of drivers, suggests survey

The RAC’s latest annual motoring report reveals that car dependency is on the rise again after dropping in recent years. So, why are a third of drivers saying they are more reliant on their cars than a year ago?

12 October 2018

In cases where reliance on the car has increased in the past year, 14% said they were much more dependent, which the RAC says is a statistically significant rise of 5% on the 2017 figure

The RAC found the percentage of drivers whose car use has increased in the last year rose for the first time in four years. In 2018, 27% of motorists say they are using their cars more than the year before

Some 44% said they found fares too high (a figure rising to 62% among young drivers aged 17-24) while 42% said services do not run when they need them to

Drivers’ dependency on the car has jumped in the last year, with a third (33%) of motorists – the equivalent to 13.2m – saying they are more reliant on their cars now than 12 months earlier, compared with just 27% in 2017, according to research conducted by the RAC.

The motoring association's annual Report on Motoring is based on a representative survey of 1,808 motorists. Data from the study of motoring trends, now in its 30th year, shows car dependency had been dropping...