- New research has highlighted that parents are spending an average of £2,443.81 a year driving their kids to social activities, and £2,300 a year giving lifts to their children’s friends.
- The school run is the highest expense for parents, followed by trips to see friends at parties.
- Over half of parents in the UK (55%) spend between 1-3 hours each week driving their children to social activities.
- 18% of parents drive their children over 150 miles per month.
Parents in the UK are spending over £2,400 every year, or £46.15 a week, driving their children to different activities such as parties and hobbies, according to a new study.
As petrol prices continue to soar in the UK, car finance experts at Zuto conducted research to uncover just how much parents are spending carting their kids around to various activities and events.
The most expensive activities for parents
Looking at the average number of hours spent driving their children to different places and comparing this to the cost of fuel per mile, the research revealed that the school run is the most costly for parents, amounting to £642.25 every year.
Trips to see friends or dropping them off at parties is the next biggest expense for parents which could be costing parents an eye-watering £607.72 a year.
The full breakdown of how much different activities are costing parents is below:
| Activity | Cost to parents (per year) |
| School / childcare / work (daily school run / nursery trips or work) | £ 642.25 |
| Social activities (seeing friends / parties) | £ 607.72 |
| Hobbies & activities (outside of school extra-curricular) | £ 601.04 |
| Extra-curricular activities (after school clubs etc.) | £ 592.80 |
As well as driving our own children around, parents that drive their children’s friends may be shocked to discover that this could be costing them additional £2,300.67.
| Driving friends to activities | Cost to parents (per year) |
| School / childcare / work (daily school run / nursery trips or work) | £ 606.93 |
| Hobbies & activities (outside of school extra-curricular) | £ 576.65 |
| Extra-curricular activities (after school clubs etc.) | £ 565.87 |
| Social activities (seeing friends / parties) | £ 551.23 |
Almost one in five parents are driving children over 150 miles per month
The research also found that nearly one in five parents (18%) are driving their children 150 miles or more per month, highlighting just how much time parents spend taking their children from A to B.
For example, for social activities such as seeing friends or going to parties, over half of parents in UK (55%) drive their children between 1-3 hours a week. Additionally, for hobbies and activities outside of school, over one in 10 of parents (12%) drive over 3 hours a week.
Overall, nearly one fifth of parents (18%) are driving their children 150 miles or more per month.
Commenting on the research, Lucy Sherliker, Head of Customer at Zuto says:
“Despite the abundance of public transport options in our modern-day society, parents still choose to spend a substantial amount of time in their busy schedules taking tehri children to various activities
“Whilst looking at various variables i.e. location, we have highlighted just how much time parents being ‘taxi of mum and dad’ and the possible reasons for this.”
To find out more information about the research, visit here: https://www.zuto.com/blog/the-taxi-of-mum-and-dad/
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