When you add up the cost of fuel, insurance, road tax, MOTs and cleaning, along with extra outlays like parking tickets and road tolls, how much does your car really cost to run? These are the top 12 most expensive brands, according to a survey by MoneySupermarket. Some of these might surprise you.
12. Hyundai
This might come as a shock, but one of the greatest proprietors of value on four wheels isn’t so cheap when it comes to running costs. Hyundai kicks off our list with a typical £1,592 annual bill. Over the 326 times an average Hyundai is driven per year, that equates to £4.88 per journey.
11. Nissan
Nissan is next, with an average £1,622 annual bill. What’s interesting is that, on average, a Nissan is driven 288 times a year – nearly 40 times less than a Hyundai. That ups the per-drive cost to £5.63.
10. Citroen
It’s £25 a year more expensive, typically, to run a Citroen for a year than a Nissan, at £1,647. Although Citroens are used 30 times more per year, making the per-drive cost £5.18.
9. Kia
Another shocker as Hyundai’s good-value Korean stablemate is even further up the list in ninth. Costing £1,755 a year to run, it’s significantly more expensive, too. With 300 uses per year on average, a single journey has an average cost of £5.85.
8. Ford
Another mainstream brand finds itself on the most-expensive list. A Ford costs just £1 a year more than Kia to run, however, at £1,756. Being used 31 times more on average, the per-use cost is much lower, at £5.30.
7. Vauxhall
Ford’s arch-rival Vauxhall is up there, too, with a yearly cost of ownership of £1,779. Being the third most frequently used marque on the list, that cost is spread over 346 journeys, for a per-drive cost of £5.15.
6. Peugeot
But Vauxhall loses out to Peugeot on per-use value. Even though it costs £1,785 every year, on average, to own a Peugeot, that is spread over 374 journeys. That makes the per-use cost an impressive £4.77.
5. Renault
Renault opens the top five (or should that be the bottom five?), with a £1,834 per-year cost of ownership. It comes second to its fellow French marque in terms of usage, though. With 355 drives, Renaults have a £5.17 per-use cost.
4. Volkswagen
German cars are often pricier to buy, so it stands to reason they’d be pricier to own. Volkswagens, on average, cost £1,900 to own a year, with a £5.92 per-use cost.
3. Toyota
Another surprise, sandwiched between the Germans. Where’s Mercedes-Benz? Nope, in its place comes Toyota. It’s the first marque on the list to exceed £2,000 per-year to own, at £2,085. It costs £6.26 over each of the average 333 drives.
2. Audi
Vorsprung durch expensive, Audis cost £2,214 per year to own on average. Over just 264 uses every year, each journey costs £8.39. It’s the most expensive car per-use to own. You can bet fuel, insurance, tax and cleaning play all play a big part.
1. BMW
Overall, however, BMW is the most expensive brand to own, at £2,411 per year. Over 292 uses, each drive costs £8.26. It’s not all servicing, fuel and tax, however. BMW owners spend an average of £136 a year on cleaning alone. According to MoneySupermarket, that’s 127 percent more than drivers of other cars.