THE most and least expensive UK cities to own a car have been revealed and there’s a hefty £700 difference.
Many motorists are feeling the pinch as rising fuel costs have, in part, added pressure on the cost of living crisis.
AlamyOwning a car comes with a number of associated costs, including insurance, car tax and fuel (file image)[/caption]
Owning a vehicle comes with a number of associated costs, such as insurance and fuel, let alone having to fork out for any unforeseen emergencies if something goes wrong.
Compare The Market’s car insurance team has crunched the numbers to reveal where in the UK are the most and least expensive cities to have a vehicle, with some surprising results.
The team analysed internal customer data to find the most expensive place in the UK to own a car.
They examined the average spend on petrol or diesel, car insurance, MOT costs, annual car tax fees and the average yearly mileage of drivers in each location to calculate fuel costs.
Luton in Bedfordshire was found to be the most expensive UK city, with the average total cost hitting a whopping £2,329 per year which was £300 more than the average spend of £2,028.
Coming in second place was Manchester at £2,309 while Birmingham was third where the average cost was £2,293 a year.
Bradford was named the fourth most expensive city followed by Preston in fifth place.
At the other end of the scale, the cheapest place to be a car owner was the Isles of Scilly where the annual cost of having a car amounted to £1,209.
The Orkney Islands came in as the second cheapest place with the average annual spend found to be £1,627 and the Isle of Wight taking third place on £1,679.
The Western Isles came fourth while Penwith claimed fifth place.
The Compare The Market team also focused on the London boroughs as insurance premiums are much higher in the capital.
It was found the four most expensive boroughs were all in East London – Newham, Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham, and Hackney.
The city’s most expensive borough to run a car is Newham, where total costs average £2,556 per year.
It’s also the most expensive London borough to insure a car, with premiums averaging £1,274.
Tower Hamlets follows as the next most costly, averaging £2,399 per year.
The average annual mileage for drivers in this borough is 5,986 miles, which is the lowest in the top ten, potentially due to its central location – so naturally less money is spent on fuel.
The average annual fuel costs in the borough comes to £921 for diesel or £969 for petrol car drivers.
However, insurance premiums are still relatively high at £1,209.
Barking and Dagenham ranks in third, with costs averaging £2,394 for drivers there.
Drivers in this borough average the highest annual mileage in the top 10, which pushes fuel costs up (£1,046 for diesel and £1,101 for petrol).
However, their insurance premiums are more affordable than in Newham and Tower Hamlets, at £1,076.
Hackney and Haringey take fourth and fifth place, with annual costs for drivers in these boroughs averaging £2,387 and £2,353 respectively.
AlamyLuton was found to be the most expensive UK city for having a motor (file image)[/caption] Read More