80% of drivers make passengers follow strict hygiene rules

The first rule of the Car Hygiene Club is… well, you need a clean car obviously…

CarGurus have researched the hygiene habits of UK drivers – thankfully, the study just focused on their cars. The results show that while a whole lot of us impose strict rules on our passengers, we’re not too keen to give our cars a proper clean.

Here’s what the survey says:

No food, no pets, no smoking, no nothing
In total, 80% of us have a set of hygiene rules in place to keep our motors clean. And some rules pop up a lot more than others:

• 63% say no to smoking in the car
• 30% have a ban on food and drink
• 23% aren’t fond of pets in the back seat (or anywhere for that matter)
• 6% won’t even allow young children in their car

On top of this, 38% of car owners admitted that if someone’s car smelt bad, they would think less of them!

“Roadtrip to Scotland? Shotgun!”
Different areas across the UK are fond of different rules, with Wales being the go-to country for in-car hygiene. Here, 43% of drivers have a ban on food and drink, with 27% also banning pets. Londoners, on the other hand, are a bit more relaxed about food and drink, with only 24% of drivers having the ban in place.

And, although not a hygiene rule, Scottish drivers are the most likely to let their friends call ‘shotgun’ to get the front seat. Mainly because most pets can’t shout shotgun!

Keeping the car clean
With so many of us having a set of hygiene rules in place, you’d think that we’re all keeping our cars clean regularly…

Well, think again! On average, UK drivers only clean their car, both inside and out, every 7 months.

Also, drivers say that their car loses its ‘new’ feeling after around 13 months, regardless of whether the car is used or new.

So, the next time someone bans you from having a quick bite to eat in the back seat, remember… the car is probably due for a clean anyway.

Sometimes being a stickler for hygiene just isn’t enough and spillages happen. If you find yourself on the wrong end of a ‘sticky’ situation take a look at our family friendly hacks to help remove stains from some of the nastiest snacks.

Do you have any rules you impose in your car? Comment below!