Over 60 per cent of motorists are worried that rising car insurance premiums will force them to stop driving or give up their car completely, according to new research.

The research from The Green Insurer also reveals that nearly one in three drivers have already given up driving in the last two years citing the cost of car insurance as one of the reasons for stopping driving.

Other motives include the cost of fuel (41%); the general cost of driving including tax and maintenance (32%); health reasons, or wanting to walk or cycle more (14%) and concerns about the environment (9%).

Motorists have taken various measures to try and reduce their increasing car insurance premiums including shopping around more for other quotes (50%); cutting down on their annual mileage (25%); calling their existing insurer to ask for a reduction or threatening to leave (15%) and increasing the excess on their policy (13%).  A surprising 27% of all motorists said that they didn’t take any steps to try and reduce their car insurance premiums.

 For those motorists who do shop around, the mean average number of insurers or price comparison websites they get quotes from is four.  Nearly one in four drivers (23%) claim that they visit five or more insurers or price comparison sites when shopping around to get a better deal on their car insurance.

 The Green Insurer has launched car insurance policies that customers can buy direct from its website at www.thegreeninsurer.com and through leading price comparison websites. A customer’s Green Driving Score will be used to calculate their reward points and will also affect their renewal premiums, with discounts for people who drive in a fuel efficient way.  Policies are linked to a mobile app, which monitors how customers drive.

Every mile driven by customers will be offset using a range of carbon offset projects which are assessed for their carbon and environmental effectiveness as well as the social impact on the people and communities where they are based.

Paul Baxter, CEO, The Green Insurer, said: “Rising car insurance premiums can present a significant financial burden for many individuals, potentially leading them to reconsider their reliance on driving or car ownership altogether. Our newly launched car insurance policies cut insurance costs for environmentally conscientious drivers at a time of rapidly rising premiums by negotiating special deals with insurers.”