Having to live without a car could have a negative impact on your emotional state and even make you depressed, according to new research.
A survey from insurance company Direct Line claims that a quarter of 2,003 drivers it quizzed would feel anxious if they were without a vehicle, while 15 per cent said it would make them depressed.
Revealing the level of emotional attachment people have with their vehicles, responses gathered from the data also claimed that one in ten would feel anger or pain at not having a car.
Direct Line claims that much of the emotional attachment that people have with their cars can be directly associated with the reliance on vehicles to travel to work and earn a living.
Factoring in the loss of earnings and extra money spent on transport for a family, the average person would be £540 worse off a month on average, according to the insurer’s estimates.
Gus Park, director of motor insurance at Direct Line, said: “A car is an integral part of many peoples’ work and social lives, which is why being without it can be so costly.
“From a financial perspective, the costs can really mount up over time, but it also leaves many people feeling stranded hence the feelings of such anxiety.”
As well as having a financial impact, the research also compared dependence on vehicles with other things that drivers consider to be basic essentials to measure where the car lies in terms of importance.
Nearly four in 10 motorists could go longer without seeing their family than without access to their car, the survey claims, while over a quarter would rather be without their phone than their vehicle.
Even more shocking, nearly half of respondents said that they would be more comfortable having no friends than no car, while nine per cent would rather go without food for longer than their vehicle.