Birmingham ranked among UK's most city stressful cities to drive in
New data reveals parking in Birmingham swallows a quarter of daily pay - ranking city among UK's most stressful to drive next to London.
Birmingham has been ranked among the UK's worst cities for driving stress, topping the charts alongside London and Edinburgh.
Drivers in Birmingham spend nearly a quarter of their daily wage (24%) for a day's parking and lose 72 hours per year sitting in traffic for their daily commute, equivalent to three full days a year.
According to our newly released , the average 'full day's' parking fee in city centre Council car parks will set you back £35 - a hefty portion of the average salary day rate, which sits at £148 in Birmingham.
Top 10: Britain's most stressful cities to drive in
| Rank | City |
| 1 | London |
| 2 | Edinburgh |
| 3 | Birmingham |
| 4 | Manchester |
| 5 | Sheffield |
| 6 | Bristol |
| 7 | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| 8 | Nottingham |
| 9 | Leicester |
| 10 | Belfast |
Motoring expert at First Response Finance, Jonathan, comments:
"Drivers expect London to be expensive, but what really stands out is how quickly other major cities are catching up.
"When parking alone can swallow a quarter of the average day's pay, it turns a normal commute into a financial strain. Birmingham matching the capital on parking costs relative to pay, shows this isn't a 'London problem' anymore, it's a nationwide shift."
Sources and methodology
The Britain's Driving Stress Index uses three equally weighted, normalised metrics:
- Annual hours lost to congestion
- Parking cost burden (% of average day rate)
- Parking fines issued (PCNs)
Data sources include: ONS ASHE salary figures, TomTom congestion data, and council parking tariffs.
You may also like...
