The surprising amount of time cars & vans are driven each day...

• Vehicles are driven just 4% each day in England
• Cars and vans spend 73% of their time parked at home
• On average, vehicles in England are driven just one hour a day

These are the figures found in analysis by the RAC Foundation, stating that cars and vans spend more time parked on their drives than out on the UK roads.

Steve Gooding, RAC Foundation director, said: “The average car is driven just one hour out of every 24, a proportion that is almost the same as it was back in 1995.

“However, this lack of use does have one silver lining.

“It means that there is ample opportunity for recharging the next generation of electric vehicles, particularly at home, or at work – so making best use of our cars’ ‘down-time’ rather than us having to make a specific trip just to get refuelled.

“There is clearly a lot of attention focused on providing a rapid public charging network to help address drivers’ range anxiety, but this data shows there is plenty of scope for slower, potentially cheaper recharging facilities to be installed at people’s homes, where the average car spends so much of its time.”A blessing in disguise for garages?

Given the lack of time our vehicles grace the UK roads in England and knowing that our cars and vans need to have a good run out every now and then, what impact will this have on servicing and maintenance?

Contrary to popular belief, vehicles only being on the road for just one hour a day will not reduce the amount of servicing and maintenance required. In fact, standing vehicles may require more attention if parked up for too long.

Standard maintenance e.g. topping up water and replacing worn tyres, may be reduced but the likelihood of more serious issues is increased as vehicles are not used to performing frequently. Also, the mandatory MOT test and recommended annual servicing is still required, regardless of the vehicles running time.