As the price of fuel reaches record levels, it's becoming less financially attractive to use a car to get around.
Today, most of us pay about £65 to fill up - 33 per cent more than last year, according to price comparison website uSwitch.com.
And Russian natural gas company Gazprom has warned that the price of unleaded could top £2.30 a litre next year - meaning that the average driver will spend more than £100 to fill their tank.
Even people who get behind the wheel only when they're on holiday are switching to cheaper methods of transport this summer. Insurance companies say hiring a scooter has become more popular with younger holidaymakers just looking to travel around their resort.
Although filling up in most European countries is slightly cheaper than in Britain because of fuel duty differences, using a hire car for a couple of weeks will strip £200 from your spending money in petrol costs. But even travellers taking the cheaper option of a moped can be out of pocket if they're not careful.
Although they can take advantage of a motorbike's ability to do more than 100 miles to every four litres (about a gallon) of fuel, insurers are warning that British scooter-riders abroad have to be careful to take proper precautions against accidents.
If you come off and need to claim medical expenses from your insurer, you will be able to do so on a standard travel policy - providing you have been riding a bike with no more power than 50cc - but only if you've been wearing a crash helmet.
The problem for Britons travelling overseas is that while wearing a protective helmet is compulsory in most countries, it is a law that is often ignored - especially in countries such as Greece, Spain and Thailand - and many hire companies will not even supply them.
Stuart Bensusan of insurance company Essential Travel Limited says: 'We've seen a surge in enquiries about cover for riding a scooter abroad instead of a car because they are cheaper to hire and run...
