Lower fuel prices means British drivers are travelling an extra 3.8 billion miles per year pro rata compared with two years ago.

And they are also saving £6.1bn in the process.

Research by Kwik Fit suggests four million drivers are averaging an extra 79 miles per month, while some 280,000 are covering more than 200 more miles every month.

The average monthly saving versus petrol prices from two years ago is £16.05, but almost 500,000 drivers would have been paying more than £60 more per month in February 2014.

One in 10 drivers says the drop in oil prices has allowed them to make journeys they otherwise wouldn't have, while 2.8 million drivers have been able to go on days out that would previously have been deemed too expensive – directly boosting the UK economy.

Around 6% of people have bought a car with lower fuel economy than they might have, because the lower fuel price means they can get away with the slightly increased fuel usage.

Kwik Fit also reports that 2.3 million drivers are showing less concern for driving efficiently, with around a million saying they drive faster than they did when fuel prices had peaked.

Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, said: 'The lower fuel prices have obviously led to huge savings for many motorists, and also enabled them to use their car more often.

'It's important that drivers making more or longer journeys adapt their maintenance and servicing accordingly, as items like tyres and brakes will wear out sooner as more miles are covered.

'And just because fuel prices are lower than two years ago, we would encourage all drivers to try to drive as efficiently as possible – driving faster will clearly negate any savings made by increasing fuel consumption.'