UK 'most expensive' for running a car

UK 'most expensive' for running a car

After a recent survey looking at the many and varied costs that come with owning a car throughout the world, it looks to be the UK that comes out as the most expensive.

Assessing the costs of fuel, road tax, car insurance, MOT tests and road tolls in 21 different countries, it will come as no surprise to many cash-strapped British motorists that the UK comes out top for these expenses.

On average, motorists in the UK were found to spend £2,256 every year on fuelling their vehicles, and travelling an average of 12,500 miles per year. Fuel tends to be the number one sore point with most drivers, with fuel duty seemingly ever rising, and it now seems that we have a clear right to complain. Elsewhere in the world, to cover the same distance in a year will cost £1,542 in fuel in Japan, £990 in the USA, and a paltry £129 in Saudi Arabia.

The average road tax bill for UK motorists comes in at £225, which though may seem small compared to the average fuel bill, is nearly seven times more than Russian, Swiss or Spanish drivers will pay. What's more, drivers in New Zealand and Canada have it even easier, paying absolutely nothing in road tax.

Another cost always leaving a wound in the wallet of most drivers is car insurance. Once again we top the charts, with an average outlay of £667 a year to keep your car legal. Australians will pay £383 a year, the Spanish will pay £350 a year, and the French will pay just £286 a year.

To sum it up, the average yearly cost of fuel, road tax, car insurance, MOT tests and road tolls ramps up to £3,453 for the regular motorist in the UK. This is around £1,000 more than you would pay in the USA, and nearly £2,000 more than across the world in China. Let the complaints commence!

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