Six in Ten Drivers Are Cutting Back on Everyday Spending Just to Keep Filling Up

Millions of UK drivers are quietly rearranging their household budgets around the cost of a tank of fuel. New research from the RAC shows that six in ten motorists are cutting back on other spending so they can afford to keep their cars on the road, and a growing number say the squeeze is pushing them to think seriously about going electric next time they change car. With pump prices still far above where they sat at the start of the year, the figures lay bare just how dependent most households are on petrol and diesel, and how few are using the free tools that could shave pounds off every fill up.

What the RAC research found

The RAC surveyed 1,535 UK drivers between the end of May and the start of June 2026, scaling the results to reflect the driving population as a whole. The headline finding is stark: 62 per cent of drivers said they were cutting back on other spending in order to cover the cost of petrol and diesel. In other words, the price at the pump is no longer just a motoring expense, it is reshaping what families can afford to spend on everything else.

More than half of drivers, 52 per cent, said they had reduced the amount they drive because of the high prices brought about by the conflict in the Middle East, with 14 per cent cutting their mileage significantly. Yet for many people, cutting back is not an option. Of those who are still driving just as much as before, four in ten (39 per cent) said they cannot comfortably cover the higher fuel costs but have no realistic choice but to keep driving, whether for work, the school run or caring responsibilities.

The research also points to a slow shift in buying intentions. Three in ten drivers (30 per cent) said they are now more likely to consider an electric vehicle next time they change their car as a direct result of the high fuel prices. With this already proving to be a record year for EV registrations, the RAC believes the prolonged squeeze on petrol and diesel costs is steering ever more people towards a car that does not rely on the forecourt at all.

Why pump prices are still so high

The pressure on drivers traces back to the conflict in the Middle East that began on 28 February 2026, which sent the wholesale cost of oil sharply higher. Although prices have eased in recent weeks, they remain well above pre conflict levels. According to RAC Fuel Watch data for 10 June, the average price of unleaded had dropped to around 157.93p a litre after peaking at 159.53p on 28 May. Diesel had fallen to roughly 180.92p, down from 191.54p in mid April, but that is still about 39p a litre higher than when the conflict started.

In hard cash, the RAC calculates that filling a typical petrol family car still costs around £13 more than it did in late February, while the same job in a diesel car costs about £20 more. For a household running two cars and covering average mileage, that difference adds up to a noticeable hit over the course of a month.

It is also worth remembering how much of the pump price is tax. Even with fuel duty discounted by 5p a litre, a cut the Government has extended until at least the end of 2026, more than half of what drivers hand over at the till goes straight to the Treasury through fuel duty and VAT. That is why even modest movements in the oil price can feel slow to filter through to the forecourt, and why the RAC continues to press ministers to keep taxation on petrol and diesel as low as possible.

Younger drivers are bearing the brunt

The research found that drivers aged 17 to 34 are feeling the strain more than any other group. A third of younger drivers (33 per cent) said they were cutting back significantly on other spending to keep their cars fuelled, compared with much lower rates among older motorists. Younger drivers were also far more likely to reduce their mileage, with 68 per cent saying they had cut down on driving and around a quarter (23 per cent) doing so significantly.

There is a wider economic point buried in those numbers. As RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis put it, every pound spent on fuel is a pound not being spent somewhere else, such as on the local high street. Younger people tend to have less disposable income to absorb a sudden rise in running costs, so when fuel climbs they are the first to trim spending elsewhere, from socialising to savings. Mr Dennis warned that with high fuel and energy costs expected to push inflation up later in the year, the pressure on household budgets may not ease soon.

What you can do to cut your fuel bill

The single biggest missed opportunity, according to the research, is price comparison. Only around one in ten drivers said they had started using a fuel finding app or website since the conflict began, while 58 per cent still have not. That means millions of motorists could be paying more than they need to simply because they are filling up at the nearest forecourt rather than the cheapest one nearby.

The Government’s Fuel Finder scheme, now live for more than two months, was designed to help. It legally requires forecourts to report any price change within 30 minutes, and that data feeds free comparison tools and apps. The RAC says searches by its members for cheap fuel through the myRAC app have more than doubled since the start of March. Checking prices before you set off, and being willing to drive a short distance to a cheaper site, is the quickest way to claw back some of the increase.

Beyond shopping around, your driving style can make a real difference. Keeping tyres correctly inflated, removing roof boxes and unnecessary load, easing off sharp acceleration and braking, and sticking closer to steady speeds on the motorway can all trim consumption by a meaningful margin over a full tank. Combining short trips into a single journey, and avoiding running the engine cold for very short hops, also helps.

For drivers thinking about that EV switch, the maths is worth doing properly. Charging at home on an off peak tariff can cost a fraction of the equivalent in petrol or diesel, which is why so many people who can charge cheaply at home are now considering electric. Public charging is more expensive and the gap narrows for those without a driveway, so the savings depend heavily on how and where you would charge. Anyone tempted should compare their real annual mileage and likely charging mix against their current fuel spend before committing. You can read more on how to find the cheapest fuel near you at Motoring Chronicle.

Supermarket forecourts are often, though not always, cheaper than motorway services or standalone filling stations, so it pays to know the going rate in your area rather than assuming any single retailer is best. Some supermarkets also run fuel vouchers or loyalty offers tied to a minimum spend in store, which can knock a few pence off a litre for drivers who would shop there anyway. Paying by a cashback credit card that you clear in full each month is another way to claim a small percentage back, although that only makes sense if you never carry a balance and pay interest.

It is also worth reviewing whether every car journey is necessary. The RAC research showed that many drivers have already cut their mileage, and even small changes such as walking shorter trips, car sharing for the commute or combining the weekly errands into one loop can reduce how often you need to fill up. For households running more than one vehicle, using the most fuel efficient car for the longest journeys can quietly trim the monthly bill without anyone giving up the freedom of having a car available.

The wider message from the RAC is that drivers do not have to simply absorb every rise. Using the free price transparency tools now available, driving more efficiently and planning journeys can all soften the blow while pump prices stay high. With no quick resolution to the conflict in sight, those small habits could save the average household a useful sum over the rest of the year.

Sources:

• https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/fuel-news/iran-conflict-steer-drivers-towards-electric-vehicles/
• https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/fuel-watch/
• https://media.rac.co.uk/drivers-urged-to-shop-around-as-fuel-prices-continue-to-rise