Motorists cut back on driving home or anywhere in general this Christmas, new research from The Green Insurer has revealed.

Its nationwide study found more than one in five (21 per cent) of motorists planned to drive fewer miles this year with around one in 10 (nine per cent) saying they would be cutting back substantially on time behind the wheel over the festive season.

Younger motorists were more likely to cut back compared to the previous year with more than one in three (35 per cent) of the under-35s saying they would be driving fewer miles.

Average mileage over the Christmas holiday period was still around 80 miles, the research showed, with one in six drivers (16 per cent) estimating they would average more than 100 miles and one in 12 (eight per cent) saying they would do 250 miles or more.

In fact 11 per cent of motorists said they would be driving more miles over the festive period in 2023 than they did the previous year while 68 per cent said they would be covering about the same number of miles as usual.

Paul Baxter, CEO, The Green Insurer, said: “Motorists are becoming generally more conscious about the impact of driving on the environment and that is definitely part of the reason for people driving less this Christmas along with a desire to save money during the ongoing cost of living crisis.”