What Are the Most Expensive Places to Own a Car?

We often hear that the UK is a very expensive place to own a car. I have driven in the UK, Spain and South America and being a motorist in Britain was definitely far more expensive than in the other places.

This got me to thinking about where the cheapest and most expensive places to buy and drive a car are. Here are some figures I found on a recent report by The Economist…

Shanghai, China

Photo credit: Bon Adrien

Number 1 spot in the most recent list of expensive places to own a car is Shanghai, despite the cost actually falling by over 16% in recent years. The cost of being a motorist there has fallen mainly because new cars are now cheaper than before, while the relatively high cost of imported brands keeps driving as an expensive business here.

Sao Paulo, Brazil

The biggest city in the southern hemisphere looks like a nightmare to drive in and it is also very expensive. It comes in second in the list of most expensive cities for running a car. In contrast with Shanghai, the cost of running a vehicle has shot up by almost 24% in the last few years, as the country’s economy booms and motorists find themselves shelling out more.

Delhi, India

I was surprised to find Delhi so high in the list as 3rd place. The cost of motoring here has leapt by over 45% since 2007 and it is now well ahead of cities like Rome, Sydney and New York. The calculation process carried out seems to have been a bit complicated but basically buying and running a family car in Delhi seemingly costs 120,000 (based on purchasing power parity), while the next city is Rome with about $70,000. The figure for Shanghai is well over $140,000 and Sao Paulo over $120,000.

London

So where are the UK cities? You may well ask but you know that London has to be there somewhere. The UK capital is in 10th place with the cost of buying and running a family car calculated at around $50,000.

Is London really almost 3 times cheaper than Shanghai and less than half the cost of Delhi? Really?

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