£100 billion drain on drivers

With less than a month to go until the Spring Budget and with party political campaigns gearing up for the election, leading used car website Trusted Dealers, in partnership with the NFDA (National Franchised Dealers Association), is calling on the Government to make Britain a fairer place for motorists.

Whilst 2013 was a strong year for the UK motoring industry, recording high exports and the highest number of new car sales since 2007, Trusted Dealers says more needs to be done to support British motorists in what it says is arguably the biggest financial drain on a driver.

With motorists in the UK spending more money on their cars than anywhere else in the world and plagued by congestion, poor road conditions and high parking prices, Trusted Dealers is calling on political parties to offer more support for motorists and make investment in transport and infrastructure a priority for the 2015 election.

The used car website has canvassed the views of its customers to identify what it says are the top five things the Government needs to ‘mend for the motorist’, namely:

1. Road tax and fuel costs
2. Insurance
3. Motorway congestion and infrastructure
4. Parking costs
5. Potholes

British motorists spend around £3,453 every year on running their vehicles- equating to £100 billion when applied to the 29.2 million cars on UK roads. This comprises £225 a year on road tax, £2,256 on fuel and an average £644 on insurance. This is combined with sky-high town centre parking prices and an average repair bill of £140 if their car comes into contact with one of Britain’s estimated two million potholes.

Managing Director of Trusted Dealers, Neil Addley, said: “Britain is the most expensive place in the world to own and run a car, so we at Trusted Dealers want to ensure that drivers get the most for their investment and have confidence in their motoring experience.

“From conversations we have with customers, we understand how expensive and difficult it is to run a car and how even the smallest change in regulation could have a big impact on a daily basis for many drivers. We’re calling on the government to tackle this issue and make Britain a fairer country to drive in.”

The biggest outgoing for motorists is fuel, with the average driver spending 15% of their annual income, or £2,256 a year on petrol or diesel, around 27p per mile. The UK also holds the dubious title of having the second most expensive diesel in the European Union.

Although research shows some car insurance premiums have dropped recently, young motorists are still being hit hard, with the average premium at £1,187- sometimes more than the price of the car itself. A joint initiative between insurers and the DVLA is expected to cut a further £15 from premiums, but Trusted Dealers says this is not enough to tackle high insurance costs plaguing the UK’s motorists.

NFDA Director Sue Robinson said: “An economic environment needs to be created that incentivises growth across the motor industry and stimulates consumer confidence and demand. Addressing these customer issues is the first step towards ensuring the growth we saw in 2013 continues and benefits not only the UK’s motor industry, but drivers too.”

Britain is also one of the most congested nations in the UK, with research showing there are 77 vehicles per kilometre of road in Britain, 76% more than the European average. Research also revealed drivers on the UK’s most congested roads can expect to achieve an average speed of less than one mile an hour during the morning rush hour. The country also has lower speed limits than many other European countries, which is proven to significantly slow journey times.

Trusted Dealers also believes that tackling excessive parking prices in town centres could encourage a high street resurrection and is urging councils to invest more money from parking revenues into infrastructure. Although an issue which has recently been open to extensive public scrutiny, parking prices continue to rise across the UK as councils look for more and more ways to recover budget deficits, leaving motorists increasingly out of pocket.

With potholes causing more than £1billion worth of damage to the nation’s cars per year and an estimated two million serious potholes on UK roads, Trusted Dealers says the Government should be doing more to tackle infrastructure problems. Local authorities are struggling to keep up with essential road repairs whilst the backlog continues to build up and the average length of time before roads are resurfaced has reached a sky high 54 years.

For more information, visit trusteddealers.co.uk.