Survey Finds One in Four Americans Delaying Car Maintenance Over Gas Prices

A national survey released this week found that one in four American drivers are delaying routine car maintenance due to elevated gasoline prices. The poll, conducted by a research firm for the car-care industry, asked 1,004 licensed drivers about recent spending decisions. Twenty-five percent said they had put off oil changes, tire rotations, or brake work because of fuel costs.

Forty-one percent of respondents reported driving fewer miles per week than they did six months earlier. The same share said they had reduced spending on non-essential items to offset higher fuel expenses. Seventy-two percent of those surveyed described gasoline prices as a financial burden. Among that group, 63 percent said they had changed at least one driving or maintenance habit in response.

The survey did not name specific price levels or regions.

It also did not project how long the reported changes in behavior might continue.