Running costs

[SnakeLogic]

I've got a few questions about how much it costs you guys to keep your vehicles on the road.  So much is a liter of diesel in the UK these days?  Petrol?

What do you have to pay to keep the vehicle on the road (not including maintenance/repairs)?  I've seen references to a parking fee, road taxes, etc.  How much is the MOT?

Here in Japan I'm paying about 0.49 GBP for a liter of diesel, and petrol is about 15-20% more.  In addition to insurance (each vehicle, not the driver, so owning more than one car is expensive), I have an inspection once every other year that includes road tax.  Road tax is based on the vehicle's engine size.  My 95 Tdi Disco is about 1200 GBP.  A V8 would be more like 1500.  Also, upon applying for a number plate, the police visit you at home to verify that you have a parking space (owned or rented) for the vehicle.

FYI, the engine and the vehicle's serial numbers have to match, so you can't swap out engines like changing your socks.  I change my oil regularly, as 1996 was the last year diesel engines were imported into Japan.

[Skibum346]

It's pretty expensive over here on the fuel but it looks like it's cheaper on tax.

Breakdown as follows...

Petrol - £0.899ish
Diesel - £0.959ish
MOT (Ministry of Transport annual test) - £40 every test unless within 2 weeks of a fail then half price
Insurance - Depends very much on individual's history and vehicle type & mods.
Road Tax - £190 max which is where most Land Rovers fit... prior to a certain build date vehicles are tax free
Parking, depends on area, central London = expensive, other cities less so, smaller towns, usually free unless flat in town.

Not done the maths but I think we lose out due to the cost of the fuel.

 

Skibum

[freeagent]

diesel is currently 89.9p around here, was at 99.9p up until the end of august...

I think unleaded is around 84.9ish...?

insurance, i pay £450ish for my 1996 disco Tdi, i'm 33 with full NCB.

road tax, as skibum said, around £185ish.....

MOT, about £40, the system has become a little more complicated since it went computerised, with some test stations making up the rules as they go along, but you shoud get a half price re-test within 14 days of a fail.

parking.... ha ha... becoming almost imposible in major cities, inner city carparks can be upto £3 per hour, and most roadside parking is now either residents only or short-stay (max 2 hours)
local authorities make mega-money enforcing parking restrictions, with traffic wardens creeping around residential areas in the middle of the night, ticketing people who are parked accross their own driveways...
(if you don't believe me, go and live in Bexley)

i think the next few years will see a rise in the number of toll roads, and i reckon other cities will introduce congestion charging systems, like london.

[Range Rover Blues]

LPG 40-50p/litre, Diesel about 89 p/litre
Insurance on the LSE, £380, now that's got a big engine in it :)
£330 on the TDi with a big intercooler
£300 on Blue with all the toys

Parking is free but I have no garden

Robin hood tax is currently £175/car/year

[Wireless]

I've got a few questions about how much it costs you guys to keep your vehicles on the road.  So much is a liter of diesel in the UK these days?  Petrol?

LPG = Liquid Petroleum Gas, a 95% Propane/ 5% Butane mixture, I've been running the Discovery on LPG since March 1999, currently paying 39.3p GBP per litre.

What do you have to pay to keep the vehicle on the road (not including maintenance/repairs)?  I've seen references to a parking fee, road taxes, etc.  How much is the MOT?

Free on-street parking outside my house, plus my driveway can park four cars, 1996 Discovery Road Tax is £175 a year, no congestion charges in Shropshire (so far), MoT £40 per year.

Here in Japan I'm paying about 0.49 GBP for a liter of diesel, and petrol is about 15-20% more.

Seems cheap.

In addition to insurance (each vehicle, not the driver, so owning more than one car is expensive)

I have four cars, '68 VW Beetle, '73 VW Type 3 Variant, '85 Fiat Panda 45CL, '96 Land Rover Discovery.  Adrian Flux Insurance was cheap.

I have an inspection once every other year that includes road tax.  Road tax is based on the vehicle's engine size.  My 95 Tdi Disco is about 1200 GBP.  A V8 would be more like 1500.

Inspections seem lax (24 months!), the rest seems expensive.

Also, upon applying for a number plate, the police visit you at home to verify that you have a parking space (owned or rented) for the vehicle.

Screw that!  Where I park my vehicles has nothing to do with the Police, they may fine me for parking in restricted areas on the streets but verifying private or free on-street parking is over stepping the boundary!

FYI, the engine and the vehicle's serial numbers have to match, so you can't swap out engines like changing your socks.  I change my oil regularly, as 1996 was the last year diesel engines were imported into Japan.

Sounds too restrictive.

[SnakeLogic]

Inspections seem lax (24 months!), the rest seems expensive.

Very, very careful inspection.  Usually takes about 2 days.

Screw that!  Where I park my vehicles has nothing to do with the Police, they may fine me for parking in restricted areas on the streets but verifying private or free on-street parking is over stepping the boundary!

I'd have to agree.  But, in a small, overcrowded country, it makes sense.  Especially since there isn't really any such thing as free, on-street parking.  The roads are much too narrow.

Sounds too restrictive.

Don't even get me started!  To pass the inspection, anything that wasn't original equipment that alters the height (springs) width (wheel well flares) or length (winch bumper) has to removed and replaced with the original.  On top of that, I had to remove my fog lamps, as THOSE weren't original equipment.  The whole thing makes me want to scream.

On the plus side, nobody here is trying to equate driving a 4x4 to being a Nazi, which seems to be the gist of many of the news items I've seen regarding your plight in the UK.  Good luck to you lot!