The pandemic, along with rising costs of living, appears to have forced people to be more resourceful with their cars.
Research commissioned by Supercheap Auto and run by YouGov says 33 per cent of Australians surveyed have learned to service their vehicle since the pandemic started.
A total of 1054 adults aged 16 and over were surveyed in December 2022.
Figures show that one-third of vehicle owners are concerned about the rising costs associated with car maintenance with two out of three people wishing they knew more about their car.
50 per cent of those surveyed say they know how to check the engine oil on their car, while only 29 per cent of them admitted they can change the engine oil and filters by themselves.
Results also showed that 43 per cent of people know how to replace wiper blades with 29 per cent of the total surveyed saying they can also change a car battery.
A concerning 40 per cent of people admitted they wouldn’t know what to do if they broke down in the middle of nowhere.
Respondents’ concerns over rising costs are reflected by s study from the Australian Automobile Association conducted in the fourth quarter of 2022, which looked into the average cost of living by means of transport, which included costs relating to vehicle repayments, fuel, servicing, car insurance and public transport.
On average, 15 per cent of a person’s total income went into transportation expenses, whether that be the cost of owning a vehicle or the cost of taking public transport.
On average transportation costs per year went up $198 since the third quarter of 2022 with people now spending an average of $20,013 per year nationwide.
The first study of this type was conducted in early 2016 and claimed the average spend per year was $17,034 for transportation and 13.7 per cent of a person’s overall income.
The average cost per week for a household in Australia sat at $417.39.
With no surprises, Sydney was the most expensive city with each household spending on average $492.52 per week on transport costs while Hobart came in the cheapest at $363.28 per household.
Households in rural areas averaged $347.68 per week on transport.
Servicing and tyres made up about 8.2 per cent of overall transport-related costs.
On average servicing and tyres amounted to around $1600 per year for vehicle owners.
The highest servicing and tyre-related expenses cost went to Bunbury in Western Australia with a whopping $1901 in related expenses per year.
It’s no surprise that car repayments were the highest ticket item to budget for, with people on average spending approximately $160 per week.
