The average price of diesel is now 131.9p a litre – over £6 per gallon – and with unleaded petrol now costing an average118.6p a litre, motorists are spending £14.3 million more each day at the pump than a year ago.
A survey for The Times has revealed that the rise in pump prices over the past year is changing people’s behaviour.
Nearly a third of people claim to no longer drive to their local shops, and 29 per cent have cut out visits to out-of-town retail parks. Nearly one in four is no longer using the car on the school run.
The high price of fuel is affecting the popularity of diesel-powered cars, which were traditionally bought for their superior fuel efficiency.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association said: “People are doing exactly the right things to reduce their motoring costs – cutting out trips by car that can easily be done on foot or by bike is an excellent way to start saving money.”
The ETA publishes a Car Buyers’ Guide to help people choose the least polluting and most fuel efficient model of car and a series of green driving tips to help reduce the costs of motoring.
