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05 April 2022
The cost of living crisis is not only putting a growing strain on finances, but may now also be impacting road safety.
Motoring costs are rising rapidly, with them having increased by 12.7% year-on-year - more than double the overall rate of inflation*. New research from Halfords today reveals one in 10 (12 percent) of British motorists who have missed an MOT did so as they could not afford it.
The research also found nearly half (45 percent) of UK motorists are worried about the cost of essential car maintenance and of those, nearly a third say they will struggle to afford car maintenance as a result of rising costs.
Moreover, a quarter of those surveyed admitted to missing an MOT deadline despite 95 percent knowing when their MOT was due. Over a quarter (26 percent) of motorists are looking for ways to get a discount on their MOT - so it will come as welcome news that Halfords is helping the nation’s motorists reduce their annual MOT cost by nearly a quarter*** as part of a new, and FREE to join, Motoring Club.
The Halfords Motoring Club has been designed to help customers save money and stay safe on the road, offering drivers £35** per year of benefits including £10 off an MOT, a £10 voucher and a free 10 point car check worth £15.
Car maintenance is a necessary expense and this timely launch comes as rising numbers of Brits are being forced to choose which essentials to prioritise, with 41 percent prioritising household bills and 34 percent food shopping, over essential car maintenance.
Halfords research also found:
To help motorists engage in more regular maintenance for their vehicle which can reduce the chances of facing a bigger repair bill down the road, Halfords Motoring Club includes a free 10-Point Check worth £15, which covers tyre depth check, inflation & top-up, as well as a wiper blade condition check, oil level check and a battery health check.
Halfords Chief Customer Officer Karen Bellairs said:
“The cost of motoring in the UK is rising faster than inflation and worryingly our research has found many drivers are struggling to cope with the bills causing some to miss booking an MOT test.
“We at Halfords are fully committed to keeping drivers safe and moving by providing affordable car servicing and maintenance options for all. This is one of the reasons I’m delighted to be launching our new Motoring Club. This, along with existing Halfords initiatives such as interest free credit for car servicing and repairs, free summer and winter car checks and competitive pricing, are all designed to keep drivers saving, safe and moving.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
For further information please contact Halfords@goodrelations.co.uk or 0207 932 3693.
The research for Halfords was carried out by Opinium Research between 15/03/2022 and 18/03/2022 amongst a panel resulting in 2,000 UK motorists over the age of 18.
*How have we derived the cost of motoring? Combining two categories in the Office for National Statistics inflation figures – “vehicle purchase” and “operation of personal transport equipment” – accounting for 12.2pc of the ONS inflation basket. Vehicle purchase includes new/used cars and motorbikes, “operation of personal transport equipment” includes spare parts, fuels and lubricants, maintenance and repairs. Used cars up 30.7% and fuels and lubricants up 22.3% have seen biggest rise.
** includes: £10 off MOTs, a £10 welcome voucher and free 10 point car check worth £15. The £10 voucher can be used against any products or services transaction of £20 or more.
*** MOT reduced from £39.99 to £29.99 with £10 off MOTs as part of Halfords Motoring Club.
Halfords also offers its customers Financing options which includes up to 12 months at 0% Representative APR % across repairs and products.
Terms of the offer
About Halfords Motoring Club:
Free Membership for Halfords Motoring Club gives up to £35 worth of free car checks and services including:
The Premium Membership for Halfords Motoring Club gives over £100 worth of free car checks and services and costs just £49 a year or £4.99/month, includes:
About Halfords
Halfords is the UK's leading provider of motoring and cycling products and services. Customers shop at 404 Halfords stores, 3 Performance Cycling stores (trading as Tredz and Giant), 604 garages (trading as Halfords Autocentres, McConechy's and National) and have access to more than 200 mobile service vans. Customers can also shop at halfords.com and tredz.co.uk for pick up at their local store or direct home delivery, as well as booking garage services online at halfords.com.