Revealed: Britain’s poor car hygiene

Cleaning a car is third on the list of most hated regular chores behind scrubbing the loo and clearing the gutters, according to new research.

A poll undertaken by BP reveals that over three quarters of us (76%) commonly eat and drink in the car, whilst 19% regularly ferry around a pet and 12% admit to smoking behind the wheel.

What’s more, one in 10 of us are so ashamed of the state of our car that we’ve actually cadged a lift or taken the bus, rather than face having to get into our own vehicle.

The poll also found:

• 16% of us clean the inside of our car less than three times a year – with 9% admitting to only cleaning the car once every 6 months
• Less than half of us now wash the car ourselves (49%)
• We are so ashamed of the state of our car that we’ll make a load of excuses not to take passengers with 9% admitting to lying about not being able to drive, 28% claiming we’d ‘run out of petrol’ and 39% pretending we were ‘going in a different direction’
• Nearly one in 10 (9%) NEVER clean out the glovebox
• Women are more likely to eat and drink in the car – 80% vs 70% for men
• Over 55s and over take most care – only 34% regularly eat and drink on the go

The research coincides with the release of BP’s new dirt-busting fuels, BP Ultimate with ACTIVE technology, which could give drivers up to 21 more miles per tank.