● New survey of car-less Brits for Turo shows average cost of Christmas trip home is £114.
● Half (50%) say high transport costs mean they can’t afford as many gifts as they would like, including 61% of those taking the train home.
● Londoners face the most expensive journey at £151.
● Vehicles on car sharing marketplace Turo available from £29 a day, can be delivered to your door*.
LONDON, UK. 10th December, 2024 – Millions of Brits will be forced to purchase cheaper gifts because of the high cost of travelling home for Christmas, a new survey shows.
Car sharing marketplace Turo commissioned Censuswide to survey 2,000 Brits who don’t own a car about their Christmas plans, as many of these 17 million people start to book trains for the journey home**.
The survey found car-less Brits expected to spend an average of £114 on Christmas travel home, with the highest expected cost for Londoners (£151) followed by those in Northern Ireland (£144) and Scotland (£143).
Londoners expected to spend about double the amount of those in the North East, who only expected to spend £77.
This high cost of travel comes after English rail fares rose by 4.9% in 2024 and are set to go up by another 4.6% in March***.
Half of those going home for Christmas foregoing some gifts
This high cost reduced the amount able to be spent on Christmas gifts this year.
Half (50%) of those going home for Christmas this year agreed that the high cost of travel meant they would be buying fewer gifts than they would like, including 61% of those going by rail.
Unsurprisingly given they also faced the highest cost for a trip home, Londoners were the most likely to say the cost had reduced their gift-giving capability, with 59% agreeing.
Young people were dramatically more likely to cite the high cost of travel as a reason they couldn’t give as many gifts, with two thirds (66%) of 18-24 year olds agreeing, compared to just 28% of those aged 55 or over.
Many car-less Brits are deciding to not go “home” for Christmas at all – 18% said travel constraints they would not be seeing their parents this year, including 25% of 25-34 year olds.
Turo director Rory Brimmer offered the following tips:
“It’s a real shame that the high cost of getting home for Christmas is stopping so many people from buying the gifts they feel their friends and family deserve. But with the average trip home costing £114 for those without a car – or £151 for Londoners – that’s the reality. While not owning a car makes perfect sense for millions of city dwellers year-round, during the holidays it is a real pain.”
1. Rent a local car through Turo.
“Car sharing offers a flexible and affordable alternative to train travel – with cars available from £29 a day on Turo*. Get a car delivered to your door or find a car right in your neighbourhood too, meaning you can save on any public transport costs to the railway station, and you can bring far more luggage more comfortably. That means bigger presents for your nieces and nephews.”
2. Book and travel as early as possible.
“If you are taking the train or flying to your destination, make sure to book as early as possible to avoid any surge pricing and get the widest possible range of options. Advance singles are generally far cheaper than flexible train tickets. Consider whether you can actually travel to your Christmas destination a little bit earlier and work remotely there – prices could be a lot cheaper than they are on Christmas Eve.”
3. Get a ride from your community.
“Chances are someone you know or who lives near you is driving near enough to your destination. Ask around your friend group to see if you can split petrol costs with anyone going near to your destination, and if that fails try your local street or neighbourhood WhatsApp or Facebook group. Make sure if you do this that you know the person driving enough to trust them.”
4. Take a coach.
“Coaches are generally the most affordable option for travelling around the UK, but are also quite slow. If time is on your side and you don’t mind the longer journey, the coach can be an essential tool – even if it is just for one leg of your journey.”