New research reveals that Preston and Lincoln rank joint first as the least frustrating places for car commutes.[1] They scored 7.9 out of 10 for commuting reliability, thanks to their low fuel and parking costs, few traffic delays, and many road surfaces being in good condition.

The index, by Go.Compare Car Insurance, ranked 109 places in the UK based on the factors commuters named the most annoying when driving to work. This allowed it to find the country’s best places for commutes.

A survey by the comparison site revealed that half of UK drivers use their car to travel to and from work.[2] The majority of these commuters said traffic congestion was their biggest pet peeve, with 62% pinning it as their top frustration.

Poor road conditions and constant roadworks followed closely behind, bothering 61% and 50% of respondents, respectively. Aggressive drivers, high fuel costs, and parking issues also rank high on the list of annoyances.

The most pleasant cities for car commuters:[1]

Preston and Lincoln top the list as the most pleasant places to commute by car, with a score of 7.9 out of 10. Lincoln has the fewest road delays in the nation, with just 19.4 seconds lost per vehicle mile,[3] and only a quarter of its roads were reported to have poor surface conditions.[4] Preston’s roads are slightly better with less than a quarter (24%) being in poor condition.

On top of that, parking and fuel costs are also incredibly low. Fees to park for an eight-hour work day in Preston averaged at £7.15,[5] and petrol only sets back commuters an average of 140.5p per litre, with diesel costing an average of 146.8p.[6]

In third place is Milton Keynes. The Buckinghamshire city boasts below average parking costs at £9.75 for an eight-hour period, and has shorter average road delays than Preston. It also has better levels of road health with only 17% of its surfaces being in poor condition. But, its higher fuel costs push it down the list. Petrol costs an average of 145.9p and diesel costs 150.2p per litre – both above the national average.

Darlington has slightly higher levels of road health compared to Preston and Lincoln, with only 22% of its roads having poor surface conditions. But it has significantly higher road delays with 31.1 seconds per vehicle mile spent in traffic. Fuel costs are also higher compared to Lincoln and Preston. Petrol in Darlington will set you back an average of 145p per litre and diesel costs 149.8p.

Tom Banks, car insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: “Many drivers might not realise that living in cities with high traffic rates, fuel costs, parking costs, and poor road conditions can often affect your insurance premiums as well.

“Places with poor road conditions and higher traffic rates will charge you more than average for insurance. The national average for car insurance is around £424. London has some of the highest annual insurance costs, with median premiums 62% higher than the national average, setting drivers back around £686 a year.[7]

“But places like Lincoln and Preston have median insurance premiums of only £341 and £408, respectively. It might not be at the forefront of someone’s mind but these factors are worth considering when moving home or even when looking for a new job.”

Find the full list of cities and their rankings on the Go.Compare website.