One-in-five parents admit feeling ‘like a taxi driver for their children’ as new research reveals just how much time is spent driving them around.
Having surveyed 1,000 UK drivers with families,Motorpoint found that parents spend 213 hours on average each year driving their children toextracurricular activities and social events – the equivalent of almost nine full days.
According to the data, there was only a few hoursdifference per year in how much time mums and dads spent ferrying their children around each week – suggesting that driving tends to be equally distributed.
The most common weekly destinations were team sports, extracurricular lessons and lifts to friends’ houses, with around a sixth of parents (16%) spentmultiple evenings every week driving their children from place-to-place.
A quarter (24%) of parent’s report waiting in the carwhile their children are at activities, so Motorpoint wanted to find out what parents do to fill the time.
According to the research:
- 30% of parents said they use the time to work or complete life admin
- A third (33%) were likely bring something read,while roughly the same number (32%) preferred to scroll social media
- Over a fifth of parents (22%) said they liked thepeace and quiet and would often do nothing
Interestingly, despite there being very little difference in the number of hours mums and dads spent driving their children around each week, the research found that dads were 53% more likely to bring a meal with them to eat in the car.
Discussing the findings, Tim Rodie, Motorpoint’s resident driving expert and dad of two said: “With so much time spent driving kids to activities and waitingto pick them up, family cars need to double-up as spaces to work, relax, or even have dinner.
“That’s why it’s important to consider your family’sneeds to make sure you’re picking a car that’ll work for you. Every family’s needs are different, so it’s important your car fits your lifestyle, and also helps support your children’s hobbies. For example, consider if all your kid’s sports gear will fit in the boot, or if heated seats would be a welcome treat on the drive home from swimming.”
While parents are spending 18 hours every month on average driving their children to activities, the majority (56%) didn’t mind. A fifth (21%) said they saw it as extra quality time with their children.
For information on some of the best family cars of 2025, visit: https://www.motorpoint.co.uk/best/suvs-crossovers-for-families
