Running a Ford Focus in Britain is cheaper than Germany, France and Spain, says new study

It might not feel like it to UK motorists struggling with the costs of staying on the road, but running a car is actually cheaper in the UK than in most other European countries, according to a new study.

Researchers from Auto Express compared the cost of buying a popular family car and fuelling it for 12 months in 15 countries  - found Britain to be cheaper than Germany, France, and Spain.

The car magazine looked at the on-the-road price of an entry-level Ford Focus 1.6 across the globe and the cost of filling the tank for a year.

 

The cost of buying a Ford Focus in Britain is £13,995, while filling it with fuel to cover an average level of use for a year takes the total cost to £15,246, the research says.

This figure is less than £15,384 in Germany, £16,857 in France and £17,130 in Spain.

The cheapest place on the planet to buy a Ford Focus and run it for a year is Russia, where the cost is just £12,031, while it is most expensive in the Philippines at £19,751.

Britain ranks seventh in the list of 15 countries that were compared.

The research does not encompass all running costs because it leaves out insurance and other bills such as servicing, tyres and repairs, which may mean Britain could be higher in the table.

The comparison included the US and Russia, but not Japan and India because the Ford Focus is not sold there.

While the cost of a new Focus can vary from £11,415 in Moscow to £18,880 in Manila in the Philippines, petrol prices also showed big variations from country to country.

The average price of petrol across the EU is £1.32 a litre, about the same as the UK, while it is cheapest in the US and Mexico at just 55p a litre.

According to the research, petrol is priciest in Turkey (£1.69 a litre) and Germany (£1.34).

Car giant Ford said even though the Focus is a global car, not every model is the same, making it difficult to compare like-for-like.

For example, the UK's basic Studio trim gets very little as standard, while North America's SE grade comes with luxuries such as cruise control and voice-activated radio and GPS.

 

A Ford spokesman said: "An extensive list of factors, both internal and external, affect global pricing.

"Vehicle specification is one, but it also includes the sourcing of raw materials and components, production costs and shipping.

"Also key to comparing global prices is where these costs are incurred, such as where the factory is compared to its sales location and currency rate fluctuations between those two countries."

Cost of buying and running a Ford Focus for a year: how the countries compare

 

Russia

£12,031

 

Mexico

 £13,935

 

US

 £14,081

 

China

 £14,197

 

Canada

 £14,345

 

Argentina

 £14,800

 

UK

 £15,246

 

Germany

 £15,384

 

South Africa

 £16,012

 

Australia

 £16,371

 

France

 £16,857

 

Spain

 £17,130

 

Turkey

 £18,032

 

New Zealand

 £18,530

 

Philippines

 £19,751