Based on a survey done by Nerdwallet, 65% of Brits don’t realise just how expensive it is to run their car. As well as the upfront costs, or finance payments, there’s fuel, insurance, repairs, parking and congestion charges to consider – and it definitely adds up.
The results come in at an average of £3406.80 a year to run a car in the UK – or £5744.40 for those with car finance.
Average car finance payment: £194.80
Average insurance payment: £53.40
Average MOT costs per month: £5.50
Average parking costs: £34.50
Average congestion fees: £28.10
Average UK road tax costs: £13.75
Average breakdown cover: £5
Plus any other repairs and maintenance/
If you're looking for how to save money commuting, it's time to look to other modes of transport.
Tube and Rail
Of course, prices vary a lot from city to city for bus, tube or rail passes. We consider the London Underground for this example.
Monthly tube pass in London – Zones 1-3: £173.60
Electric scooter
Electric scooters range in price from a few hundred pounds, to a few thousand. Likewise, the specs will change greatly depending on your e-scooter model and things like battery capacity, engine size, maximum speed, weight and distance travelled will impact your personal total costs, and therefore possible commuter savings.
So here we’ll look at the averages for a mid-range e-scooter costing around £600, and take the average approximate cost to charge the scooter battery from flat to fully charged (between 15p and 30p – we’ll use an average of the two), once a day (based on you riding the e-scooter every day- we know you’ll want to).
One off cost: £300 - £800
Average monthly spread cost across a year: £50
Average monthly charging costs: £6.75
Average monthly servicing and repair costs: £3
Electric Bike
Like e-scooters, e-bikes range in price greatly. Let’s take an average of £2250.
One off cost: £2250
Average monthly spread cost across a year: £187.50
Average monthly charging costs: £3
Average monthly servicing and repair costs: £3
So, looking for how to save money commuting? The answer might well be an electric scooter. Of course, the above amounts are averages, and will depend on the model you chose. But whichever way you look at it, potential commuter savings of going the e-scooter route are pretty huge. And we believe it's not just for your wallet, but for your city too.
