Being without a car could lead to depression and financial insecurity according to a recent survey.

Direct Line Car Insurance conducted research into the financial and emotional state of not driving and found that being without a car could cost Britons an average of £540 a month and hit their emotional state with 15 per cent of motorists saying that they would have feelings of depression not having their car at their disposal.

The financial figures came to fruition after the insurance company surveyed 2.003 drivers and factored in the loss of earnings and extra money spent on transport for themselves and family members amounted to £135 per week on average without a car.

Research in the past came to the conclusion that those living in the UK would spend an average of £3500 a year to cover petrol, insurance, tax and repair bills – the largest sum in the world.

The figure above works out at £67 a week, which is half the total cost of not having a car based on the figures released by Direct Line.

A third of drivers who took part in the survey indicated they would lose £77 a week in earnings if they didn’t own a car. This figure rose to £107 per week for those under the age of 55 and £104 for those who reside in London.

Despite the financial hit on non-drivers and the feeling of being anxious, only one in ten would feel anger or panic as a result of not having their car at their disposal. Also 26 per cent felt they could last longer without their mobile phone than their car.

Four in ten said they go could without seeing their family more easily than lose access to their wheels. Those who said they’d have to pay for alternative transport to compensate for not having a car would expect to spend £27 a week on costs such as getting kids to school or cancelling social plans.

Gus Park, the director of motor at Direct Line has outlined his plans to accommodate those who are policy holders at the firm to ensure there are no knock on effects from not having access to your car.

He said: “We recognise how costly and inconvenient being without a car is for our customers, which is why we’ve launched our market-leading Guaranteed Hire Car proposition. It ensures policy holders have access to a hire car so they can continue with their day to day lives without the worry or cost of being car-less.”