British motorists would back radical changes to taxation, even if it meant a massive increase in petrol costs, but very few would give up their cars, a report by the motoring organisation RAC revealed today.

Almost two-thirds of motorists said they believed that scrapping the tax disc and putting all tax on fuel would be fairer, since it would force drivers to pay up according to how much they use their cars.

Some 38% of motorists said they felt the tax disc was completely outdated, and the majority said that it simply made the system easier to cheat. However, more than half of motorists would be against road user charging for passenger vehicles controlled by satellite tracking; many feared this would mean the use of Big Brother technology.

Even if total confidentiality were guaranteed, only a third of drivers would support its implementation. A daily road user charge, plus tax, was even less popular, with 71% of motorists opposing the idea.

Despite the anger that fuel price increases have provoked in the past, and the fact that 73% of the pump price on petrol is already tax, the majority of drivers said a further hike in petrol tax would be the best option.

Furthermore, soaring fuel prices would almost certainly fail to convince drivers to leave their cars at home. The average driver spends £964 a year on fuel; even if costs, including fuel and tax, soared by some £1,500, only 30% of drivers said they would definitely switch to a different mode of transport.

Rebecca Bell, spokeswoman for the RAC, said: "If the cost of motoring is to be used as a lever to coax people out of their cars, fuel taxation does not seem to be such a sensible option. Our research shows motorists have become anaesthetised to fuel-based tax; they just don't think about how much they end up paying. If future motoring taxes are designed to raise maximum revenues, this solution would work a treat; in reality, RAC worries that it might add to, not reduce, car usage in the coming years.

"Road traffic congestion is reaching crisis point. Many parts of the country are simply grinding to a halt. Future taxation must be designed to do two things. First, it must raise enough revenue to fund a high quality transport system of roads, buses and trains. Second, it must include cost-based disincentives to dissuade motorists from using their cars for non-essential journeys," she added.