Nearly two-thirds of motorists either drove less during July, or cut back their spending in other areas, said the AA, as record petrol prices hit drivers in the pocket.
Young people and families felt the greatest impact, according to a survey by the motoring organisation, which warned of a knock-on effect hurting industries such as leisure and retail.
Fuel prices hit record levels in early July, with petrol reaching 191.5p a litre and diesel rising above £2 in some regions, owing to factors including high oil prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and low refining-capacity across Europe.
Motoring groups have also claimed petrol retailers are not passing on the savings they make when wholesale fuel prices come down. While prices have fallen since early July, the AA said stubbornly high prices had already taken an economic toll.
In a survey of more than 15,000 members, nearly two-thirds (64%) said they had cut back either on car use or other discretionary spending. That was a significant increase on the 43% who said they were doing so at the time of the last survey in November, when prices at the pump were 45p a litre cheaper.
A quarter of younger drivers said they had run up debt or turned to family or friends for help in response to higher fuel costs, the AA said. It said 16% of “family-age” (25-34) people had turned to loans or credit cards and that 14% had been supported by family and friends.
Among those drivers cutting back on areas other than fuel, 81% said they were eating out less and 67% said they had reduced their spending on weekly shopping. That 67% increased to 76% among drivers in the lowest-income group.
However, actual car use had remained at 95% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the AA. It said people were unable to cut back on “essential” trips such as commuting or the school run but were instead finding ways to drive more efficiently.
“While many drivers have learned to live with record pump prices by changing the way they drive their cars and cutting back here and there, younger drivers and those most likely to have families have suffered much more,” said Luke Bosdet, the AA’s fuel price spokesperson.
“Younger drivers and those most likely with families have also had to cut other spending or go into debt. That has been the real tragedy of record pump prices.,” said Bosdet.
“I think everyone has been surprised by how little record pump prices have impacted on car travel and petrol consumption, which is around 5% below normal levels.
“It could well have been a different story had soaring road fuel costs happened in winter. However, the bottom line is that much of the continued car travel is for essential trips, such as commuting, school runs, weekly shopping and visiting relatives.”