The Student Driving Report | MoneySuperMarket

Starting university is a major milestone for many people, and for those who decide to take their car, choosing a city that supports their driving needs can make a big difference.

With reports showing that around a third of students choose to bring their car to university, many will be thinking about navigating unfamiliar roads, finding affordable parking and managing the everyday costs of running a vehicle away from home.

For students already balancing tuition fees, rent and everyday living costs, the extra expense of taking a car to university can feel less like a convenience and more like a financial burden. 

To help students keep costs down and make more informed decisions, our new Student Driving Report ranks the UK’s major university cities based on how driver-friendly they are. Locations have been ranked by Commended, Highly Commended and Outstanding based on those that are offering the most favourable conditions for bringing a car to university.

The report analyses a number of key factors, including parking costs, vehicle offences, accident rates, and local petrol prices. We also used our own data to highlight the car insurance costs student drivers face and how they vary from city to city. 

The most vehicle-friendly locations for student drivers

With the cost of driving already placing pressure on student motorists, the location of a university can make a difference to the overall experience of owning a car.

Some cities offer more affordable, accessible and safer driving conditions than others, potentially making them better suited to students who choose to bring a car with them. 

Outstanding: The most driver-friendly university locations

Pontypridd tops the ranking with a score of 7.71. Recording the lowest collision count in the table, at 51 in 2024, and a residential parking permit costs just £16 a year, the town has strong appeal for prospective and current students at the University of South Wales. 

Swansea also is ranked as outstanding, with free residential parking permits, students at Swansea University face an average premium of £1,117.28, and fuel averages 153.37p per litre for petrol and 167.63p for diesel. 

Residential parking permits are also free for students at the University of Sunderland. Petrol averages 150.81p per litre and diesel 168.35p. However, the city recorded 335 road collisions in 2024 and 6,142 vehicle crimes in the past 12 months.

Rounding out those with Outstanding results is Middlesbrough, with the lowest vehicle crime figure of the four, at 3,291 incidents in the past 12 months, and free residential parking permits. Students at Teesside University will find petrol averaging 149.39p per litre and diesel 165.65p, with an average annual insurance premium of £1,360.15. 

Highly Commended: University locations with strong scores for student drivers

Students at Queen’s University Belfast or Ulster University’s Belfast campus benefit from the cheapest fuel among the three groups, with petrol averaging 146.10p per litre and diesel 158.01p. Residential parking permits cost £30 a year. 

Home to the University of the West of Scotland’s Paisley campus, students in Paisley pay an average annual insurance premium of £1,278.95. Fuel is less competitive, with petrol averaging 151.10p per litre, and diesel prices of 169.10 being the highest in the table.

Lincoln boasts strong safety and insurance results with low vehicle crime, at 2,108 incidents, and an average annual premium of £1,098.85. Students at the University of Lincoln and Lincoln Bishop University should note the costs elsewhere, though. A residential parking permit is £72 a year, diesel averages 168.47p per litre, and petrol, at 155.89p, is the highest in the table. 

Rounding out the group is Durham with 2,310 vehicle crimes and 102 road collisions in 2024. Students at Durham University pay £56 a year for a residential parking permit and an average annual premium of £1,200.91. Petrol averages 153.00p per litre and diesel 167.90p.

Commended: Other university locations worth considering

For students at the University of Plymouth and Plymouth Marjon University, one standout benefit of bringing a car to university in Plymouth is affordable car insurance, with the average annual premium costing £1,036. Parking permits cost £63 a year, and the area recorded 423 road collisions in 2024.

Stoke on Trent offers average annual car insurance premium of £1,244.35. Fuel costs an average of 150.76p per litre for petrol and 166.10p for diesel. However, vehicle safety is a concern, with 4,676 vehicle crimes recorded in 2024, alongside 336 road collisions.  

York boasts the lowest vehicle crime figure in the table, at 1,633 incidents, which is a plus for students at the University of York and York St John University. Although parking is more expensive, with residential permits costing £115 a year. 

Edinburgh completes the group. Students at the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University face costs of £89.90 for a residential parking permit, and the city recorded the highest collision count in the table, at 481 in 2024. Fuel averages 152.51p per litre for petrol and 165.15p for diesel, while the average annual premium is £1,223.60.

The most affordable university cities for student drivers

Oxford offers the cheapest average cover, with student drivers paying an average annual premium of £979.98. Other budget-friendly cities include Bath, Exeter, Brighton and Bournemouth, where insurance costs are comparatively lower. 

Alicia Hempsted
Insurance Expert

Expert advice for student driviers

Where a car is kept can influence insurance costs, as insurers consider factors such as traffic levels, claims history and local risk.

Students who move away for university and keep their car at a new address for much of the year may need to update their policy details, which could affect their premium. 

For students, it’s important to make sure the details on their insurance policy accurately reflect their circumstances, including where the car is usually kept for the majority of the time and who the main driver is.

While it may be tempting to provide a different address or list a family member as the main driver to secure a cheaper quote, giving incorrect information to an insurer could invalidate the policy and leave you without cover if you need to make a claim.

You should always update your insurer if you change your address or how your vehicle is used Students should also consider the full cost of running a car, including parking permits, fuel and insurance, particularly in cities where parking may be limited or expensive. 

Shopping around before term is one of the simplest ways students can keep costs down. Comparing quotes in advance can help students to appreciate and understand the true cost of owning a car at university and make a more informed decision.

Tom Allingham, Student Money expert at Save the Student, looking to bring a car to university:

“If you're a young person, then you should be prepared for your insurance to be on the more expensive side, but that's not the only cost to keep in mind; you'll also have to cover road tax, fuel and an MOT. And, depending on where you're studying and where you're living, you may have to pay for parking too.

Parking is is the easiest cost to overlook. Some unis offer parking spaces on campus, and this may be cheap or possibly even free, particularly during off-peak hours. But this won't always be the case, especially at inner-city universities.

If you're living off-campus, you may be lucky and have a house with its own parking space. But again, if not, you might have to pay for a permit, and that cost will add up over time. If you don't have a parking space and the cost of a permit or private parking near you is expensive, you can use an app like JustPark to find cheaper spaces nearby.

Finally, consider getting a 'black box' fitted as part of your insurance, as this should take a decent chunk off the cost of your policy.”

Methodology and sources

The Student Driving Report was created by MoneySuperMarket using public datasets and internal data to assess how accommodating UK university cities are for students bringing a car to university.

The analysis used a range of factors to assess how suitable each university city is for student drivers. The index considered parking availability and costs, vehicle crime, accident rates, local petrol prices and average insurance premiums to reveal which locations offer the best conditions for students bringing a car. 

Parking costs

For each city, local councils' residential parking permit schemes were reviewed to find the annual cost for students in private rented housing. Where residential permits are based on emissions, the output of a small petrol car was used. For London, data was collected for all boroughs and then averaged.

Vehicle offences

ONS - Police Force Area. The number of vehicle offences for the corresponding location was taken.

Accident rate

DfT (Department for Transport) - Road Casualties interactive map. 2024 data (most complete recent available) was taken for the corresponding location.

Local petrol prices

Local fuel prices were calculated using postcodes linked to each university city, with average petrol and diesel prices recorded from Fuel Finder. Data was correct as of 20 July 2026.

Average annual premium, average policy holder years and average total annual mileage

MoneySuperMarket internal policy data, filtered to policyholders whose recorded main occupation type is "Student"; data drawn from 2025.