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Manchester is the most expensive place to park in the UK, according to new research
The cost of an annual parking permit in Manchester city centre comes in at £538 on average.
Emily Sergeant -
30th April 2021 
New research has found that annual parking permits in Manchester are on average £418 more expensive than London.
This means that the city ranks as the most expensive place to park in the country.
The cost of an annual parking permit in Manchester city centre comes in at £538 on average, compared to the capital’s average annual figure of £120, and the average of all cities analysed is which is £103.08.
The shocking figures have been unveiled thanks to recent research conducted by Compare The Market, which analysed data from 47 councils across the UK.
Birmingham and Edinburgh come in at second and third on the list of most expensive average costs of a parking permit, each with permits costing over £200, and then at the opposite end of the list, Cardiff charges an average of £7.50 per year for permits making it the place with the average cheapest residential parking permits in the UK.
Believe it or not, in fellow northern cities Leeds and Liverpool, there are no charges at all.
The average cost of a parking permit in UK cities
| Rank | City | Average |
| 1 | Manchester | £538 |
| 2 | Birmingham | £207 |
| 3 | Edinburgh | £202.91 |
| 4 | Glasgow | £169 |
| 5 | Sheffield | £145.60 |
| 6 | London | £120 |
| 7 | Norwich | £38.20 |
| 8 | Bristol | £38 |
| 9 | Belfast | £30 |
| 10 | Leicester & Newcastle | £25 |
| 11 | Cardiff | £7.50 |
| 12 | Leeds, Liverpool & Nottingham | £0.00 |
The most expensive residential parking permit can be found in Manchester’s Zone 3 district – which covers three of the main train station areas, Deansgate, Manchester Oxford Road, and Piccadilly – at an eye-watering £750 per year.
Manchester also has the second most expensive permit in the UK.
In Zone 1 – which covers the central retail district – a parking permit costing £650 per year.
Speaking on the findings from the new study, Dan Hutson – Head of Motor Insurance at comparethemarket.com – said: “Paying up to £750 for a residential parking permit is a lot of money [and] while those who live in busy cities and towns might not have a choice but to buy a parking permit, it is worth remembering that it’s common for car insurers to ask where your vehicle is parked because it can increase the risk of theft or damage.
“Parking on the street outside your home can, in some cases, increase your insurance premium if providers consider the area exposed to higher risk”.
You can ready the full findings via the Compare The Market website.
Featured Image – APH Manchester
