Fuel price rise means cost of running a car jumps 17 per cent

Huge jumps in fuel prices have contributed to a rise in the cost of maintaining a car by 17 per cent to £3,500.

Motorists are spending on average £1,435 to fill up their car each year, which is a £960 rise, according  Insurance Revolution.

The fuel jump rise means some road-users have started to use alternatives, with the AA recently reporting motorists were staying at home more. 

Other costs include road tax and car insurance, which have both gone up, meaning motor premiums have risen by 4.3 per cent since the start of 2022, at just shy of £700, according to Consumer Intelligence. 

Louise O’Shea of Confused.com told the Times: “The main reason car insurance costs are starting to increase is that we’re driving a lot more now than we were 12 months ago. This means the number of claims that insurers are paying out on is likely to have increased too.”

According to the RAC, a litre of unleaded petrol now costs 162.16 pence, while diesel is at 176.11ppp.

A key contributor to rising fuel costs has been the war in Ukraine, as Britain looks to cut off any Russian fuel dependence. The UK government has looked for alternative fuel sources, leading to environmental protests.