10/02/2012 (press release: OnlinePR) // Halfords
Four in five claim car is essential despite rising costs of motoring
Motorists are making serious lifestyle sacrifices to help pay to keep their cars on the road while others are cutting back on essential car maintenance & car care, according to a new comprehensive report.
The study highlights how vital the car has become to our everyday personal and family existence with over four in five (84%) drivers describing their vehicle as essential to daily life. The lack of public transport in many parts of the country, or alternatives to the car for carrying out routine activities means only 3% of respondents in the wide-ranging report for Halfords say the car is “not a necessity”.
Despite ever increasing fuel costs and soaring insurance premiums, two in three (63%) car-owners still get behind the wheel every day and nearly half (42%) drive for two hours or longer.
Almost half (44%) cite the commute to work as the main reason they use the car and a quarter (24%) say they are reliant on the car for basics such as the weekly grocery shop. Children play a large part in the use of cars by families with nearly one in ten (9%) of owners saying they need a vehicle to ferry kids to and from school, to friend’s homes and to pick them up from after-school activities.
Compromises to keep car running
The Halfords Friend of the Motorist Study 2012, examines the attitudes and habits of 2,000 drivers in Britain and reveals the compromises drivers are increasingly being forced to make to cope with the rising financial demands of keeping a car on the road, with one in six (18%) admitting to making lifestyle sacrifices.
Amongst the sacrifices being made by motorists include cutting back on other expenditure such as nights out or leisure activities (20%), cancelling days out to visit family and friends (18%) or choosing to visit only those closer to home (36%). Car sharing to get to work has become more popular with one in ten (10%) saying they have linked up with colleagues for the daily commute. People were also visiting the supermarket less and doing more big shops rather than several smaller shops.
The study also found that this reliance on the car has had a profound impact on the way people drive, with nine of out ten motorists (92%) admitting to changing their driving habits – by accelerating more slowly and breaking less harshly – in a bid to save fuel.
Many take chances
One worrying trend from a road safety perspective is the one in 12 (8%) who say they delay carrying out essential car maintenance to save money. Meanwhile other car-owners (27%) have economised by switching to an independent garage or chain, in place of more expensive main dealerships.
The study did find evidence that some cash strapped motorists (37%) are willing to attempt simple maintenance tasks. But of this group less than half would attempt basic tasks like changing a defective bulb or wiper blades, topping-up screen-wash or adding coolant to the radiator. Only one in five would undertake anything more challenging like replacing a battery and an even smaller percentage a job like replacing a fan belt.
It seems for many motorists today’s complicated, high tech engines are simply too daunting – with 44% of respondents feeling that they have neither the time nor the knowledge to try even the simplest job.
Of the group delaying car maintenance (8%), the survey reveals how this tactic could put themselves and other road users at serious risk. Two thirds (67%) delay the annual recommended service but potentially more dangerous is, almost half (47%) leave tyre replacement until the tread is at or below the legal minimum, while a third (37%) ignore strange engine noises or dashboard warning lights and a fifth (22%) do not replace brake pads.
Taken across total car ownership this would mean some one million cars on the road with unsafe tyres and brakes.
Commenting on the study’s findings Halfords Commercial Director, Paul McClenaghan, said: “It is clear that families cannot give up their car – it is an essential part of their everyday lives but the cost of motoring is having a painful impact on people’s pockets but putting off maintenance really is a false economy.
“By choosing to ignore obvious faults or manufacturers’ advice, drivers are only delaying the inevitable and likely to increase the eventual cost when something fails – as well as potentially putting both themselves and other road users at risk.”
The impact on tomorrow’s drivers
Perhaps the hardest hit by rising motoring costs are those teenagers struggling to afford to learn to drive. The study found that nearly half (48%) of 18-34 year olds are unable to pay for lessons and one in five (20%) of parents are opting to teach their kids to save on costs.
The expense of buying a car, then running it means nearly one in three (30%) of those that do pass their test won’t be able to buy a vehicle and more than one in ten (15%) are giving up a luxuries in order to save for one. The cost of insuring a car also means that 22% of new drivers will be insured on the family car rather than having their own policy.
The study was carried out by Halfords as part of its Friend of its Motorist campaign. Halfords Commercial Director, Paul McClenaghan, added:
“At Halfords we can help those wanting to take on their own car DIY with the essential tools, oils and parts, but for the majority that can’t, Halfords Autocentre and We Fit technicians provide an excellent value for money service, maintenance and repairs to help ease the cost of driving. We also offer free car safety checks and free tyre checks at all Autocentres.”
Motoring writer and broadcaster, Mike Rutherford, said; “With people, young and old relying on their cars as much if not more than ever, the financial impact on drivers and families is taking its toll. It’s very worrying that 8% of drivers are delaying essential maintenance, that means there are a million cars on the roads with faults that need fixing and that are a potential risk to the driver, their passengers and other road users . It’s also a false economy as delaying maintenance can lead to more costly repairs at a later stage.”
The Halfords Friend of the Motorist Study 2012 is available now to download fromwww.halfords.com/news
Notes to Editors:
Halfords carried out research amongst 2,000 UK drivers during August 2012
Details on sacrifices from a Halfords Survey carried out in March 2011
For more information contact:
Stuart Humphreys
t:01527 513410
e: Stuart.humphreys@halfords.co.uk
The Group is the UK’s leading retailer of automotive, leisure and cycling products and through Halfords Autocentres also one of the UK’s leading independent car servicing and repair operator. Halfords customers shop at more than 460 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland and at halfords.com for pick-up at their local store or direct home delivery. Halfords Autocentres operates from more than 260 sites nationally and offers motorists dealership-quality MOTs, repairs and car servicing at affordable prices.
Halfords employs approximately 12,000 staff and sells around 10,000 product lines in stores, increasing to around 16,000 lines online. The product offering encompasses significant ranges in car parts, cycles, in-car technology, child seats, roof boxes, outdoor leisure and camping equipment. Halfords own brands include the in-storeBikehut department, for cycles and cycling accessories, Apollo and Carrera cycles and exclusive UK distribution rights of the premium ranged Boardman cycles and accessories. In outdoor leisure, we sell a premium range of camping equipment, branded URBAN Escape. Halfords offers customers expert advice and a fitting service called “Wefit” for car parts, child seats, satellite navigation and in-car entertainment systems, and a “Werepair” service for cycles.
Halfords is both the UK’s largest specialist retailer of car parts and the nation’s leading operator of car servicing garages. Our ambition is to keep our motorist customers moving.
Over 460 retail stores sell a wide range of car parts and will fit light bulbs, wiper blades and batteries while customers wait.
Our 240 Autocentres nationally offer motorists car servicing, repairs, tyres and MOT’s. They are committed to providing dealership quality work at affordable prices and see 600,000 customers every year, with over 8 out of 10 saying they would recommend us to a friend. Our expert service is backed with both a quality and price guarantee.
With over 240 centres nationwide, Halfords Autocentres is the UK’s leading independent car servicing, repair, tyre and MOT network. Now part of the Halfords group, our name may be new, but our centres have been a feature of the towns and cities of Britain for a decade or more.
Halfords Autocentres provides dealership quality work at affordable prices to around 650,000 customers every year, with over 8 out of 10 saying that they would recommend us to a friend. Our expert service is backed with both a quality and price guarantee: work is guaranteed for 12 months or 12,000 miles[1], and we promise to match any price quoted locally like for like[2].
www.halfordsautocentres.com
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