Motor vehicles, traffic and driving

Motor vehicles, traffic and driving

Car and van access

80% of households had access to one or more cars or vans for private use. 32% of households had access to two or more. [Table 18b, Table SUM1]

Car access increases with household income, as does the number of cars available per household: 50% of households with an annual income up to £10,000 had access to one or more cars, compared to 97% of households with an annual income of more than £50,000. [Table 18b and Figure 12]

Figure 12: Household access to cars or vans by selected income bands, 2021
Chart showing household access to vans for highest and lowest income groups. Highest income has greater access.

Households in rural areas were more likely to have access to a car than those in urban areas. Car access in accessible rural households was 94%, compared to 71% in large urban areas. [Table 18b and Figure 13]

Figure 13: Household access to cars by urban-rural classification, 2021
Chart showing household access to cars by urban-rural classification. Urban areas have less access than rural.

Frequency of driving

70% of people drove at least once a week, while 34% drove every day. [Tables 20 & SUM1]

Frequency of driving was higher in rural areas than in urban areas, and increased with income. [Table 20]

Fuel spend and cost of parking

The average (mean) amount which an adult driver spent on vehicle fuel in the last month was £94. [Table 2a]

The average (mean) spent by an adult on parking (including non-drivers) was £0.80 per week. For those who drove, the figure was £1.10. [Table 52]

Electric vehicles

3.4% of people owned an electric car or van in 2021. [Table 49 and Figure 14]

Figure 14: Percentage of adults owning an electric vehicle, 2016-2021. (There is a break in the series between 2019 and 2020 due to a change in methodology.)
Chart showing electric vehicle ownership 2016-2021. Values have increased since 2016.

 

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