The car is our favorite - but we drive less for pleasure as fuel becomes more expensive

29 May 2023 08:00

The car retains the clear first place when Northerners freely choose their means of transport in 2023. But rising prices for electricity and fuel mean that almost every second driver drives less – and this mostly applies to the Swedes. Rising electricity prices also slow down the desire for electric cars: Three out of ten who say no to electric cars do so solely because of the more expensive electricity - which is a sharp increase compared to 2022. This is shown by the Mobility Barometer 2023, the Nordic region's most comprehensive survey of our mobility habits.

"The mobility barometer 2023 clearly shows that a tougher economy affects how we transport ourselves. The car is still number one for everyone, but we think more about the costs than before. It is also clear that the electric car boom is slowing down. It's not just that electric cars are considered expensive to purchase, the electricity prices also make many people say no to the idea of ​​buying an electric car," says Pehr Oscarson, President and CEO of MEKO.

Swedish car drivers are most affected in the Nordic region by rising electricity and fuel prices, according to the survey. Rising costs cause 53 percent of drivers in Sweden to use the car less, compared to the Nordic average of 47 percent.

MEKO conducts the Mobility Barometer for the second year in a row. Around 4,000 people in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland answer questions about their habits and wishes regarding mobility - and this year's report also contains several interesting trends. Some of the results:

• We would like to cycle more than we do - but there is a clear reason why we do not live as we learn.
• Only 5 percent think that the car's environmental characteristics are most important when choosing a car.
• Four out of ten dislike the car manufacturers' subscription system when buying a new car, for example that the car buyer must pay extra to be able to drive faster.

Welcome to download the Mobility Barometer 2023 at www.meko.com.

The survey was conducted by Demoskop on behalf of MEKO.

For further information, please concact:

Pehr Oscarson, President and CEO, MEKO
Phone: +46 (0)8-464 00 20
Mail: pehr.oscarson@meko.com

Anders Oxelström, Director of Communication (Interim)
Phone: + 46 73 522 52 42
Mail: anders.oxelstrom@meko.com