Over two in five people say they will be making more car journeys than usual in December

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For many people across the UK, December means more time in their car and new research from Sainsbury’s Bank Car Insurance reveals more than two in five people (43%) make extra car journeys in December. When it comes to spend, drivers estimate they spend an additional £56 on fuel during the month.

Christmas morning is the busiest day for setting off for festivities with 40% of people jumping in the car. Christmas Eve is next with 17% of people travelling to meet friends and relatives and 13% on Boxing day. 53% of people are travelling on both Christmas and Boxing day and 70% undertake car journeys on all three days.

Some will be travelling further than others with drivers clocking up an average of 28 extra miles(1). Those in Edinburgh will be running up an extra 47 miles around Christmas time, in Brighton this figure is 42 miles and Bristolians will cover 35 miles once they set off from home.

Karen Hogg, Head of Insurance at Sainsbury’s Bank, said: “In December, people often find themselves hopping in the car more often, from visiting family and friends to running small errands on Christmas Eve.

“Of course, the challenges presented by winter driving make the consequences of a breakdown or accident greater, so it’s important those getting behind the wheel have a quality breakdown cover to provide peace of mind should the worst happen.”

Food and snacks are an essential part of the festive season with a quarter (25%) of UK drivers making extra trips for this reason in December. 24% of drivers will be making journeys to visit family and friends and over one in ten (11%) will be having a winter outing in the car to events like ice skating and pantomimes.

Picking up friends and family in order to take them to festivities, the proverbial festive family taxi service, accounts for 8% of the extra trips in December.

Every driver needs to be insured and Sainsbury’s Bank offers customers exclusive rewards and discounts on car insurance if you have a Nectar Card. Customers can find out more online https://www.sainsburysbank.co.uk/car-insurance/index,  get a quote and pick the right cover for them.

Sainsbury’s Bank offers a range of key benefits with comprehensive car insurance, such as windscreen cover and courtesy car and optional extras like breakdown cover and key cover. Furthermore, Nectar Card holders receive a discount on their car insurance (2) and double Nectar points for the length of the policy