Parents that have switched to electric, plug-in hybrid or hybrid vehicles say their current cars are more effective in helping young children fall asleep than the previous petrol or diesel cars they have owned, according to research by Citroën UK.

In a study of 2,000 UK parents with babies and young children, 56.4% of those owning an electrified vehicle said their child found it either as easy or easier to nod off in their current car, compared to petrol or diesel models they had previously owned. Just 11.9% said an electrified vehicle made it harder to get their children off to sleep, while 15.8% were unsure either way. Nearly half (44%) of all the parents surveyed said they had taken their child on a short car journey specifically to help them fall asleep.

Citroën’s research also highlighted how effective using a car can be to help kids have a snooze, with the data showing that on average it takes a child 16.5 minutes to fall asleep in a car, with 96% of parents saying their child typically falls asleep in 30 minutes or less.

The top factors that parents felt were most beneficial in helping babies and young children fall asleep on a car journey were the gentle movements of the vehicle on the road (46%), a comfortable in-car temperature (41%) and a comfortable car seat (40%).

There's no word yet on the soporific effects of being driven in a Citroen Ami, however.