Britain's the most expensive place in Europe to run a car -- as if you didn't already know, a survey released today by a large insurance company confirms it.
High fuel costs and taxes have put pressure on the wallets of UK motorists. However, other Europeans are not feeling the pinch quite as much and in many cases spend hundreds of pounds less than their British neighbours to own and run their cars.
Prudential Insurance found that the average running cost of a car in the UK was £485 more per year or up to 15 per cent higher than in Spain, Italy, France and Germany.
The annual cost of running a car in the UK came to £4,997 – £642 more than in Spain, £513 more than in France, £465 more than in Italy and £320 more than in Germany. Researchers looked at every aspect of car ownership and expenditure and found that in almost all areas, British drivers fared the worst.
It all begins from the moment British motorists leave the dealer’s forecourt. It can cost up to £2,000 more to buy a car in the UK than in other European countries and up to £2,000 a year is lost in depreciation.
British drivers are also hit with significantly higher annual road tax than in some European countries. In Italy, drivers don’t pay road tax at all and at £175 per year, the average Brit pays double than that of the Germans and Spanish and around 25 per cent more than the French. Fuel and annual service costs are also higher in the UK.
It isn’t all bad news though, as car insurance in the UK costs less than in many parts of Europe. A motorist in Italy can expect to pay £558 a year – more than twice that of the UK, where the average premium costs £250. The French also have a reasonably low rate of insurance at £340 although, unlike the UK, this includes accidental breakdown cover.
However, the UK is still one of the most expensive countries in Europe to run a car at 40p per mile with the average British driver covering almost 12,500 miles in a year.
Prudential Car Insurance’s research also reveals that many British drivers are unaware of the high cost of motoring in the UK. Over half (56 per cent) of drivers severely underestimate the average £416 per month running costs, reporting spend to be under £100. This means that Brits are actually spending more than four times what they think on driving. Over three quarters (77 per cent) of drivers did, however, recognise that driving in the UK is more expensive than in other European countries.
Tiff Needell said: “Wherever you live, driving is expensive; but the difference in costs between the UK and the rest of Europe are considerable. Not only do we pay more to buy a vehicle, day-to-day running costs are markedly higher than across France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The research even takes into account costs for car parking, car washes and tyre replacements.”
Philip Southgate, Prudential Car Insurance spokesman comments, “There are a number of hidden costs incurred when running a car. You know how much your insurance is every month but that knocked wing mirror, tyre change or parking charge all add up. We Brits love our cars and every time we make a journey, we unknowingly add a little more to the monthly cost: fuel, parking, mileage and even penalties. Our research aims to make people more aware of the full cost associated with running a vehicle in the UK.”
Prudential’s five point plan to lower driving costs:
- Shop around for car insurance to get the best deal and take advantage of online discounts.
- Haggle with dealers to get the best trade-in and new or used car price and go armed with a car price guide.
- Save fuel by reducing your speed, cutting down on use of the air-conditioning, minimising use of your heater and by removing any unnecessary weight from your vehicle.
- By carrying out a quick 10-20 minute check-up on your car each week you would save money that would otherwise be spent on expensive repairs. Get to know your owners manual and check tyres, lights, battery and brakes regularly.
- If you're buying a new car, a smaller one will save you money on fuel and cost you less in tax as well as causing less pollution. Cars with the lowest levels of emissions qualify for reduced tax (Vehicle Excise Duty) and if you live in London you may be exempt from the congestion charge (worth up to £2,000 a year).
Alternatively, find a new government that will cut motoring taxes.
The full version of Prudential Research is available to download from www.pru.co.uk
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1 1"%3E%3C/svg%3E)