LONDON, November 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

 - Dads spend 20 hours weekly with their children and five hours driving family around - 
- Frugal fathers save over £500 a year -  

Modern men are rising to the challenge of parenthood with dad clocking up four hours cooking, an hour and a half washing up and 13 hours on driving duties each week, according to research by FIAT to support the launch of the FIAT Tipo family car.

Taking the kids to after school sports clubs to ironing, vacuuming, cooking and cleaning the kitchen - dads racked up 28 hours and 14 minutes doing their weekly chores.

In addition to working a 35-hour working week, today's so-called 'super dads' spend up 20 hours playing with their kids, with 60% saying they can multitask.

Dads are now savvier than ever, saving as much as £516.44 a year. 60% claim they save money by turning out the lights, half keep the heating on low (54%), and 1 in 4 switch off the telly rather than keep it on standby (37%). Another cost-cutting corner includes considering the price of a car, which 66% said was the most important factor when purchasing.

With 25% of dads now responsible for the school run, nearly half thought the size of the car and its boot space was key. Looking 'cool' is not on the menu anymore - most of those asked said this was not something they would even consider (95%). Over half (56%) said their family's needs came first when it comes to buying a car.

Toni Gaventa, Brand Communications Manager FIAT UK, said: "Today's dads have so much on their plate, they need a car that fits around their demanding family life. That's why the Fiat Tipo an exceptionally roomy car with bags of boot space, ideal for storing the kids' sports kits in, is perfect for today's 'super dads'"

Though dads are pulling their weight in chores, that does not stop them being big kids at heart. 32% said watching cartoons was one of the best perks of being a parent, while 29% admitted they used it as an excuse to buy toys for themselves. Blaming the kids for making a mess when it was them was also a guilty secret of 11% of dads, as well as using the kids as an excuse to get out of social events (37%).

The full list of household chores dad's undertake:

   
        1             Driving car            13 hours 21 minutes
        2                 Cooking             4 hours 10 minutes
        3              Washing up              1 hour 21 minutes
        4        Grocery shopping              1 hour 20 minutes
        5                     DIY               1 hour 2 minutes
        6                 Ironing                     52 minutes
        7        Cleaning kitchen                     51 minutes
        8               Vacuuming                     51 minutes
        9         Mowing the lawn                     47 minutes
       10       Cleaning bathroom                     39 minutes

*Research by 72 Point - 1,000 UK respondents, November 2016

SOURCE FIAT UK