From finding somewhere to park to road congestion the convenience of driving can often be overshadowed by uncomfortable and stressful scenarios. But with an estimated 50 million people with a driving licence in the UK, where are the easiest cities and towns to drive in? According to a recent study, you shouldn’t swerve away from Manchester as it has been crowned the most driver-friendly city in the UK.
With cars playing a key role in most people’s everyday life, from commuting to work to school pickups, car insurance experts at Marshmallow studied cities and towns across the UK to identify the best and most frustrating places for new drivers. They examined commute times, fuel costs, car expenses, EV chargers, and car park availability in order to gauge which town or city was the most driver-friendly, with Manchester taking the top spot.
Manchester achieved an overall score of 6.41/10 (a pass at the very least!) to become the best city to drive in the UK, with the most car parks (27) and parking spaces (7,668) available to drivers making it easier for drivers to find spots in the city. The city has 63 EV chargers per 100,000 people, making it a good option for those with electric cars. However, car prices are the highest, averaging £33,048, and it has a lengthy average commute time of 39 minutes – we’re looking at you, M60.
Sheffield ranked second, with an average commute time of 25 minutes and one of the cheapest fuel costs at £1.43 per litre. Car prices average at £25,810, though it has fewer EV chargers (42 per 100,000 residents) than Manchester. Coventry, in third place, leads the UK when it comes to EV chargers with 499 per 100,000 people, reflecting the city council’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions, making it an attractive option for electric vehicle owners.
The most driver-friendly cities in the UK (score out of 10)
1. Manchester (6.41)
2. Sheffield (5.33)
3. Coventry (5.24)
4. Luton (5.23)
5. Leicester (5.21)
6. Dundee (5.18)
7. Liverpool (5.1)
8. Swansea (5.03)
9. Cheltenham (4.91)
10. Portsmouth (4.71)
Luton had the quickest commute time of 15 minutes and Cheltenham had the cheapest fuel costs at £1.42 per litre. Liverpool had the cheapest car prices at £23,196 on average and the second highest number of car parks (22).