London the world's second most expensive city for driving, shows report

Driving a petrol-fueled car in London costs more than in any other city in the world except Hong Kong, according to a new ranking, partly due to the capital’s congested roads.
 

Running a petrol car cost £2,512 ($3,070) last year, about £550 more than in 2021, location technology business TomTom said Wednesday. Fuel prices, which surged due to the war in Ukraine, meant that London ranked higher than other European cities like Paris, Oslo and Zurich as well as any city in North America. 

Higher prices at the pump did not deter people from using their cars, however.  

“Despite the rising costs of driving globally, it continues to be a major mode of transport in most cities,” said Andy Marchant, a traffic expert at TomTom. People may have become used to driving over the pandemic, especially those who moved further away from the office.

In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan is expanding a zone that charges drivers of high-polluting cars, in an attempt to improve air quality. Congestion and vehicle types meant that Londoners commuting by car emitted more than drivers making comparable journeys in other cities, TomTom said.

Claire McDonald from Mums for Lungs, a campaign group in south east London, urged people to ditch their cars. “It’s always better not to drive and to take alternative forms of transport,” she said.

Electric Trends

Electric cars cut running costs in half if drivers use slow charging, while still saving about £500 per year for fast charging, the data showed.

“If you just take the pump price and the plug price, EV is the cheaper option but if you take into account the price for EV cars then the trend switches,” said Marchant.

Congestion was also the driving force in Hong Kong topping the overall ranking.

When it comes to diesel cars, however, London tops the list with a yearly cost of £2,334. The report also showed that people lost 5.5 days to congestion driving in the UK capital with an average speed of 14 km/h in the center.