More than a million people were driven off the road last year by the cost of fuel and the recession, a study claims.
Some 1.3 million people have given up driving over the past 12 months, research by Sainsbury's Car Insurance claims.
The average car owner is spending around £1,720 per year to fuel their vehicle, which is almost a third increase on the year before.
Three-quarters of motorists have changed their driving habits in the past 12 months, including driving more slowly.
The research comes amid challenging conditions for consumers as the rising cost of living and muted wage growth stifle spending power. The average cost of petrol is 136p a litre, according to the AA, down 0.86p on the mid-May average but higher than the 135.75p a litre figure on June 5.
Elsewhere, households are feeling the pressure from rising food prices and utility bill increases.
Some changes to motoring habits identified by the research include stopping filling up tanks fully, which 26 per cent admit to doing, and purchasing specific values of fuel.
Some 45 per cent of motorists – 16.5 million people – are now driving less and seven per cent have started to car share, the research revealed. A further 10 per cent – 3.53 million – have downgraded their car for one that is cheaper to run.
The AA survey found that three quarters of drivers have cut down on their journey times and their expenditure on cars.
Patrols have also reported that congestion is down and people are driving at lower speeds to conserve fuel.
Edmund King, the president of the AA, said: "The high price of fuel is having a dramatic effect and for the first time taking the train is becoming cheaper than driving.
"I think that more than a million actually giving up driving seems very high but more than that are cutting back on their use of a car. This in turn will have an effect on high street and supermarket sales."