The future of motoring

Motorists want a sustainable future – but it’s a long road to get there

Tempcover has undertaken detailed research to better understand how British motorists envision the country’s Future of Motoring. What we have found is a nation of drivers at a crossroads with a number of conflicting factors at play.

Most motorists showed a willingness to embrace a green revolution – but they are frustrated by perceived barriers related to costs, policy and infrastructure.

They welcome concepts such as electric cars in principle – but many find them unaffordable or are put off by a lack of charging points.

Despite billions of pounds being spent on new technologies such as smart motorways and driverless cars, most respondents remain unconvinced of their safety.

They prefer co-operation to coercion and respond to encouragement over enforcement – so measures such as tax breaks on greener vehicles are welcomed ahead of congestion charges and speed cameras.

Technology has a huge role to play in our motoring future. Innovations such as app-based taxis, parking apps and usage-based car insurance are already part of our everyday lives, supporting the increasingly flexible ways we want to use our cars and roads in a rapidly changing world.

The time may come when other innovations such as smart motorways and driverless cars become a safe and dependable part of our everyday lives – but we are not there yet.

Motorists want to solve today’s problems to lay the foundations for future generations and to achieve that, their voices must be heard today. That’s what this report is all about.

The route to a more sustainable Future of Motoring will be a long and challenging one – but we believe we can get there if motorists, the government, campaigners and the wider industry take it together.

Alan Inskip

Tempcover CEO & Founder.

The study results

Motorists’ top concerns and desired solutions

Tempcover has undertaken detailed research to better understand how British motorists envision the country’s Future of Motoring. What we have found is a nation of drivers at a crossroads with a number of conflicting factors at play.

Most motorists showed a willingness to embrace a green revolution – but they are frustrated by perceived barriers related to costs, policy and infrastructure.

They welcome concepts such as electric cars in principle – but many find them unaffordable or are put off by a lack of charging points.

Despite billions of pounds being spent on new technologies such as smart motorways and driverless cars, most respondents remain unconvinced of their safety.

Biggest issues

What do you believe are the biggest issues on the British road network?

Respondents were asked to select all statements that apply

70.9% Potholes

62.1% Congestion

38.2% Speeding

37.2% Pollution

30.7% Over-zealous enforcement (parking fines, speeding fines, etc.)

30.1% Lack of electric vehicle charging points

17.6% Noise

2.4% None of the above

Desired solutions

Which of the following eco-friendly road measures would you like to see the Government invest in?

Respondents were asked to select all statements that apply

The pros and cons of switching from fossil fuels to electric vehicles

Rising fuel prices are a major concern for most motorists, and they believe the Government and oil companies should take action. Almost half of respondents – especially younger drivers – support the move to electric vehicles as an alternative to fossil fuels – but concerns over the cost and a lack of charging points are holding many back.

Fuel prices

With fuel prices increasing what action do you think the Government should take?

Respondents were asked to select all statements that apply

59.7% Reduce fuel duty to make it cheaper

58.3% Force big oil companies to reduce their profits so prices go down

50.5% Set a national price cap on diesel/petrol prices to ensure it is more affordable

30.8% Provide greater tax breaks for people buying electric cars

3.3% I think fuel pricing is fair and reasonable

Willingness to adopt electric vehicles

Putting costs and other barriers aside, do you support the concept of moving to electric vehicles?

Respondents were asked to choose one statement

48.2% Yes, I would switch to an electric vehicle in principle

24.1% No, I think that diesel and petrol vehicles are perfectly suitable

13.9% Yes, I already own or am planning to purchase an electric vehicle

13.8% No, I think that vehicles should have other power sources such as hydrogen, natural gas, etc.

Barriers to purchasing electric vehicles

What’s stopping you buying an electric car?

Respondents were asked to select all statements that apply

Driverless cars, smart motorways and technology

The Government has invested huge amounts in smart motorway technology with a total of £2bn worth of contracts announced in 2010 followed by a further estimated investment of £1.2bn in 2020.*

Meanwhile, tech companies and car manufacturers are putting billions into driverless car technology. However, fears over the safety of these high-tech solutions means there is a long way to go until UK motorists are convinced by the vision of a futuristic road network.

*Source: Sky News, January 12, 2022.

Attitudes to driverless vehicles

We asked drivers which of the following statements reflects how they feel about driverless vehicles.

Respondents were asked to choose one statement.

44.3% I am worried they are unsafe and I would never travel in one

36% I would travel in one if a human driver was there as a backup

9.1% I would happily be a passenger in one without a human driver, but only on roads up to 20mph

7% I would happily be a passenger in one without a human driver on any road including motorways

3.7% None of the above

Smart motorways

Do you feel uncomfortable driving on a smart motorway for any of the following reasons?

Respondents were asked to select all statements that apply

48.5% I’m worried about being stranded if I break down

44.4% I’m worried for my safety

29.7% I’m concerned emergency vehicles won’t be able to get to me

23.6% I don’t understand how they work

22.7% I don’t trust the technology

17.8% I don’t feel uncomfortable on smart motorways

Traffic controls and enforcement

We’ve seen that motorists are concerned about congestion, pollution and speeding – but the measures being used to tackle these are not universally popular.

When it comes to encouraging safer and more sustainable motoring, punitive traffic controls are not the answer. Drivers prefer the carrot to the stick – supporting encouragement over enforcement.

Congestion charges

Which of the following statements reflects how you feel about cities introducing congestion and other charges to deter motorists driving into cities?

Respondents were asked to select all statements that apply

47.2% I do not support congestion charges because they are a money-making scheme

42% I would never drive to a city where there are congestion charges

21.3% I’d like to see congestion charges abolished entirely

19.2% I pay congestion charges but only because I am forced into paying them

10.5% I happily pay congestion charges to offset my vehicle’s carbon footprint

8.4% I’d like to see congestion charges introduced in every major British city

8.3% None of the above

7.5% I don’t pay congestion charges because I use public transport, but think they are a good idea

Cycling

As a car driver, how do you feel about cyclists and cycle lanes?

Respondents were asked to select all statements that apply

44.8% There should be more designated cycle lanes

43.8% Cyclists should be under greater scrutiny from the police eg for riding through red lights

34% Cyclists should have to pay road tax

27.9% Cyclists should only be allowed on roads that have designated cycle lanes

26.4% Cyclists should be allowed on all roads except major roads and motorways

21.6% There should be fewer cycle lanes

3.2% None of the above

Speed cameras

Which of these statements reflects how you feel about speed cameras and speed limits on UK roads?

Respondents were asked to select all statements that apply

55.7% Speed cameras don’t make us safer because people know where they are and just slow down to avoid them

28.6% The current 70mph speed limit is safe and should not be changed

27.5% There are too many speed cameras and we don’t need any more

26.7% The motorway speed limit should be increased to 80mph to keep traffic moving and ease congestion

23.4% There should be more speed cameras to reduce accidents

11.5% The motorway speed limit should be decreased to 60mph to make our roads safer

2.7% None of the above

Car sharing

Which of the following reasons would put you off taking part on a ride-sharing scheme?

Respondents were asked to select all statements that apply

How we conducted our research

The research was commissioned by Tempcover and carried out by independent research company Mortar Research which conducted an online survey among 2,003 respondents across the UK. The sample of adults who drive a car was randomly selected from the survey panel. The research was conducted between 24th and 28th February 2022.

The panel is drawn from multiple sources and recruited using a mix of techniques to select unique and responsive members.

The survey company’s privacy policy is clearly stated for panel members and the company adheres to UK data protection laws. Researchers are members of the MRS and we adhere to research practice In line with ESOMAR guidelines.

If you would like to review the data from our survey, you can download the results here.

Conclusion

We would like to thank all of those who took part in this survey, to help us build a clear and fascinating picture of what matters to motorists now and for the future.

We have sent this report and our summary of its findings to the Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, the Secretary of State for Transport, to ask that he listens to the voices of UK motorists and that the government:

About Tempcover

Tempcover specialises in short-term car, van, motorbike, student, and learner insurance – having sold over 3.9-million policies since 2006. As a pioneer of the UK’s InsurTech industry, we enable drivers aged 17-78 with full UK, provisional and EU licences to purchase temporary fully-comprehensive coverage from as little as 1-hour to 28-days in duration. Our short-term policies offer truly flexible cover for the time drivers actually need – with no long-term commitment or auto-renewals. Our temporary cover does not impact other annual policies or no claims discounts, as it is a separate, standalone policy.