The increasing costs of running a car are forcing nearly three quarters of drivers (70%) to make cut-backs to their outgoings to keep themselves motoring, according to research by MoneySupermarket.com.

The research found that a third of drivers (33%) “cannot live” without their car, and a further 31% would find life tricky without it. The research also found that more than half of motorists (53%) think a car is an extension of its owner’s personality.

The comparison website reveals that the most common cutbacks motorists would make to stay behind the wheel are spending less on clothes and shoes (34%); reducing the amount they spend on their social life (33%); buying less alcohol and cigarettes (28%); going to the pub less often (26%); and reducing their spend on holiday/mini breaks (26%).

Pete Harrison, car insurance expert at MoneySupermarket.com, said: “The cost of motoring is an increasingly hot topic, and with the price of fuel recently hitting record highs, it continues to put additional pressures on household finances.

“It’s no surprise whatsoever that Brits are making cutbacks to keep their cars on the road – many drivers, especially in rural areas, depend heavily on their cars on a daily basis to get them from A to B, and if the cost of motoring continues to rise as we have seen previously, these cutbacks may become a very significant reality.”