The thirty million car drivers in the UK are paying more than they ever have before to buy, keep and run a vehicle on UK roads. A recent report concluded that just a run a car in the UK, without any interest on car finance loans considered, the cost now exceeds £2000.

Sainsbury’s Bank found that the cost of motoring, including car insurance, tax, maintenance and fuel now stood at £2,259. In similar research, the AA have found that the cost of motoring now exceeds 40 pence per mile. The tax treatment of business miles only extends to this level, therefore many motorists who drive for business are losing out.

Speaking on this matter, the managing director of comparison website Gocompare.com, Hayley Parsons, reportedly commented: Less favourable tax treatment has seen a considerable number of employees opting out of company car schemes. Many of these workers now use their own vehicles for informal or ad-hoc company business, for example, attending an off-site meeting or a training course, or carrying out the daily banking . But, our research revealed that 5m workers haven't extended their insurance to cover business travel - so could be driving uninsured.

Driving down the cost of running a car isn’t impossible – paying insurance in a lump sum, taking a pass plus test, increasing your insurance excess, keeping your car more secure and changing your vehicle to something smaller and greener can all save money .