Climate Guilt Isn’t Making Brits Drive Less…It’s the Cost of Living

New data reveals financial and ethical factors are still shaping the nation’s transport choices – but with more weight on the financial impact

New research from private plate supplier Regtransfers suggests that cost of living concerns are a stronger influence than environmental guilt when it comes to reconsidering car use.

Speaking with 1,000 UK drivers, 56.6% of respondents reported they had either actively sought alternatives (12.8%) or occasionally considered other options (43.8%) to private car use – such as cycling, public transport, or car sharing – as a result of rising motoring costs. By contrast, a third (33.8%) said these costs had not influenced their travel choices at all.

This insight comes at a time of ongoing economic strain. Rising fuel prices, inflated insurance premiums and the development of Low Emission Zones have increased the cost of car ownership, with recent polling showing that 73% of drivers are concerned about insurance affordability, and 67% are worried about fuel costs.

When asked whether environmental impact influences how they travel, 66.2% of respondents said they consider it to some degree – though only 7.1% say they “always” do, while a majority of 32.6% said they only “sometimes” factor it in. This suggests that while environmental impact is on people’s minds, it is rarely decisive in shaping transport behaviour.

This data echoes findings from the Environment Journal, which found that while 73% of European travellers prioritise climate impact when planning trips, their actual behaviours often lag behind their expressed values.

Regtransfers data also highlights some notable gender differences, with women twice as likely than men to already rely on alternative transport (8.09% against 4.53%) and to consider environmental impact in their travel decisions. Only 10.43% of women said they “never” consider the environment, compared to 16.42% of men. This 6% difference equates to something in the region of 2.4 million British adults.

Commenting on the study’s findings, Mark Trimbee, CEO of Regtransfers, states:

“Drivers today are being pulled in two directions – on one hand, they’re facing the rising cost of simply getting from A to B, and on the other, there’s growing pressure to make greener choices. It’s clear that people are feeling the pinch, but while most of us care about the environment, it’s rising fuel prices and insurance costs that are making us think twice about jumping in the car. 

What’s interesting is that women seem more likely to factor in environmental concerns and to already be using alternatives like public transport. That gap matters – if we want greener travel habits to stick, we need to make the sustainable choice the easy and obvious one for everyone.”

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