Motorists are reducing their driving costs in an effort to reduce overall expenditures by using their car less, according to the RAC. The organization reports that many people are now choosing to own just one vehicle per family, or downsizing their personal vehicle.
The cost of motoring for the average Briton fell by about 5% in 2009 according to the RAC, which averages about to be about a £2.30 savings per week for motorists.
The RAC stated that the savings come from an average drop in fuel prices although it is hard to see the fall as fuel prices fluctuated widely throughout the year.
Since last year the RAC estimates that petrol prices fell overall by about ten percent. In particular, diesel fuel fell about 14%.
However, even though the price of petrol fell, the RAC found when it conducted a survey that most car owners still believed that the cost of owning a car had had actually increased, with 45% of those questioned stating they altered their motoring habits to adapt to the increase in costs.
Out of those who responded in this group, 20% said they switched to only using one car in the household, and another 25% stated that they now drove a smaller car.
The report showed that women were twice as likely to have chosen a smaller vehicle in the last year, which can save a motorist up to £750 a year depending on the difference in the downsize
