NEW DATA: Almost half of car owners are cleaning their cars more thoroughly since COVID-19

Last year, It was reported by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) that there are over 40 million cars and vans on the roads, which is an all-time high. But how often is the UK cleaning and caring for their cars?

Asda Money surveyed 2,000 UK car owners to better understand if the importance of cleanliness due to the recent pandemic has reached our cars.

Since the pandemic, almost half of UK car owners are cleaning their cars more carefully. Young drivers (17–24 year olds) are more concerned about this, with two thirds (66%) of them making sure they clean their car more thoroughly due to COVID-19.

Over two thirds of the UK get stuck in and clean their cars themselves, whilst over a quarter (26%) pay a professional to clean their cars.

It was also revealed almost a fifth (18%) of women ask a friend or family member to clean their car for them instead of doing it themselves.

Manchester topped the table owning the cleanest cars, with almost a quarter (24%) of Mancunians cleaning their cars once a week. Porsche owners are the cleanliest drivers, with two thirds (67%) making sure they do the same.

This new research also revealed that of those people cleaning their cars in the UK, almost half (46%) are spending up to an hour on this activity.

The research also revealed differences in car brand owners, for example 83 per cent of Ford owners are not concerned about Covid and haven’t changed their car cleaning routine. However, almost half (48%) of Audi owners are cleaning their car more often since the virus outbreak.

A fifth of the UK pay a professional to clean their car to make sure it’s done properly, but how much are car owners willing to pay? The data shows that men spend more than women on getting their car cleaned, with 41% of men spending up to £20 per month, as opposed to 33% of women.

25–34 year olds spend big when it comes to cleanliness, with 20% of them spending up to £40 per month on cleaning. And 1 in 10 Mercedes owners admitted spending up to £50 per month to keep their car in top condition.

The research also showed that:

• 37% of the UK only clean their car when they have time
• 26% wait until their car is really dirty before cleaning it
• 19% feel they need to have their car clean and tidy at all times
• 16% would pay extra for good quality cleaning products
• 10% don’t really care how dirty their car is

Alistair Ball, Head of Insurance at Asda Money, commented: “The pandemic has impacted us all in so many ways. Our way of life has been altered in order to stop the spread of the virus, and maintaining a high level of cleanliness is encouraged to help do this. We were interested to see whether people have carried this through to their cars, and if their car cleaning routine has been altered at all due to Covid-19.”

As well as making sure our cars are well maintained, ensuring you have the right insurance policy is important too. Asda Money’s car insurance comparison service offers a price guarantee where they guarantee to beat a cheaper online quote* plus, up to 70% no claims discount. *Terms and conditions apply.