More than two in five UK households have used their car as a place to work or relax during lockdown.

The survey of 2,000 drivers was conducted by Peugeot. It finds that 41% of drivers who live in a household of four people or more began to use their car as a leisure or work space during the lockdowns.

Driving to standstill

A third of respondents said they had used their cars as a space to work. Meanwhile, 47% of those who admitted retreating to their car said that they did so to catch up on TV. Another 43% said that they went to their car to read a book.

Nearly three in five (58%) of those questioned admitted that they have struggled to find time for themselves during lockdown. Since January 5 UK residents have been under instructions to stay at home, except for certain reasons, and to stay local if the cannot avoid leaving the house. This has resulted in people spending increased time with partners, immediate family or housemates. The enforced social set ups has allowed some families and shared house groups to rediscover positive relationships. However, according to the BBC, this has also led to a spike in break-ups and divorces. One law firm recording a 122% increase in divorce enquiries between July and October 2020.

A previous study carried out by Skoda found that a fifth of UK motorists had used their car for an alternative use during the first coronavirus lockdown. The latest survey appears to shows that the number of people are increasingly struggling to live in confined social situations. Escaping to their own space in vehicles has increased during the second and third sets of restrictions.

The wheels of technology

The opportunity to see the car as a relaxing leisure space has already prompted some car makers to improve their solutions. For example, Tesla has upgraded its Model S and Model X electric cars so that they now possess 10 ‘teraflops’ of processing power (for comparison, an Xbox Series X has 12).

This makes it possible to play new, advanced video games. The company also revealed Tesla Theatre as part of its V10 software in late 2019. This gives owners access to streaming services including Netflix, Hulu and YouTube, though only when the car is parked.

Plugged in

Entertainment features such as these are arguably more important on electric cars, which can take the duration of an episode to recharge using a public chargers. More than a third of those answering the Peugeot survey admit they would be more likely to use their car as a leisure space if it was a zero emissions-capable vehicle.

It’s reported that Amazon will work with BMW and Fiat Chrysler to feature seatback screens using Amazon Fire TV system in certain models. While Apple and Google are also increasingly involved with car manufacturers in developing their entertainment and connectivity systems.