Which Cities Are Best and Worst For Driving?

While you may associate city centre driving with endless traffic jams, extortionate parking prices, and even more expensive fuel, this is not universal across the county.

There are cities in the UK that offer a much more enjoyable and stress-free experience on the road, offering lower running costs and quieter roads. And we want to find out exactly which one of those cities has the best driving experience in the country.

As such, Vertu Motors analysed five key factors that impact motorists, ranking UK cities according to congestion levels, car park prices, fuel prices, first time driving test pass rates, and the cost of insurance premiums. These rankings were then totalled up to reveal the overall best and worst cities for motorists.

See our findings, below.

Which city offers the best driving experience?

Our research revealed that Sunderland offers the best driving experience in the UK, consistently scoring high rankings across our five motoring factors.

Car park prices were the standout statistic for the Tyne and Wear city with Sunderland offering the cheapest city centre parking in the UK. Congestion levels, petrol prices, and insurance premium prices were also among the top five in the country.

Cardiff and Newcastle also scored consistently high ranking places across each of the categories, earning titles as the 2^nd and 3^rd most driving-friendly cities, respectively. Cardiff, in particular, was found to have the cheapest city centre petrol prices in the UK.

In terms of representing the south of England, only Southampton and Bristol managed to land a spot in the top 10 best cities for drivers. Cities based in the north of England, on the other hand, made up 50% of the same list.

Best city for driving ranking	City	Driving points
#1	Sunderland	25
#2	Cardiff	30
#3	Newcastle	38
#4	Coventry	39
#5	Middlesbrough	39
#6	Bristol	42
#7	Southampton	45
#8	Nottingham	50
#9	Leeds	53
#10	Sheffield	53

Which city offers the worst driving experience?

At the other end of the scale, our research found that London offers the worst driving experience in the UK.

The English capital scored 82 points across each of the five categories, with particularly unfavourable rankings in congestion levels, car park prices, and cost of insurance premiums.

London was closely followed by Brighton, Glasgow, and Liverpool, with these cities scoring 67, 65, and 64 driving points, respectively.

Scottish capital Edinburgh also featured among the worst cities for driving rankings. The research found that its congestion level, in particular, was the worst in the UK.

Worst city for driving ranking	City	Driving points
#1	London	82
#2	Brighton	67
#3	Glasgow	65
#4	Liverpool	64
#5	Leicester	62
#6	Birmingham	61
#7	Manchester	58
#8	Bournemouth	54
#9	Edinburgh	54
#10	Stoke-on-Trent	53

Did you spot your local city among the worst cities to drive in list? Don’t worry, even in those more frustrating urban locales, there is a myriad of ways to make traversing a city centre a smoother experience. We recommend always checking routes before setting off and researching the best areas for parking and petrol prior to your journey.

You might even need a motor better suited to city centre life. Browse our full collection of new and used cars here at Vertu Motors to find your ideal urban vehicle.