Warming our cars up in winter before driving away is no idle matter, according to new research shared by the IET.
The average UK motorist leaves their car running for 244 minutes in winter – based on an average idling estimation of 14.35 minutes per week over three winter months – generating a combined 107,000 tonnes of CO2 annually in the UK. This equates to more than the entire population of Cardiff catching a flight to Egypt to attend COP27.
The study by the IET found that more than six in ten (64 per cent) of drivers let their engine idle during the colder months, with 41 per cent doing so at least three times a week. More than a million motorists idle every single day during winter, producing a carbon footprint over a lifetime of 825kg.
Highlighting the extent of the issue, the average idle time during winter is 4.79 minutes, but one in six (15 per cent) motorists leave their car running for at least 10 minutes merely to get everything – including...