Things we carry around needlessly in the boot of our car are costing us dearly in terms of the added fuel consumption and tyre wear it takes to transport the extra weight involved.

Latest research carried out by tyre manufacturer Michelin shows that over half of all drivers use their cars as mobile storage units. Almost one third of those surveyed confessed to using their vehicle for storage because they don¹t have space at home.

Broken down, the survey showed that motorists are driving around for months on end with a host of unnecessary items bouncing around in the boot ¬ items like shoes (31%), cleaning products (36%), books (26%), magazines (20%), toys and children¹s accessories (18%), pet accessories (16%), work related items (16%) sports equipment and even sleeping bags (8%).

Remembering that unnecessary weight places an added burden on tyre
pressures, and that roughly one tank of fuel in five is used up just to overcome the rolling resistance of the tyres, Michelin is urging motorists to “dump the junk in their trunk” and save the money it is costing to carry it around.