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Manchester drivers named some of the ‘most confident’ in the UK
Of course they have.
Emily Sergeant -
13th March 2024 
We’d all like to think we’re pretty solid drivers, right?
Even though driving is a skill that often gets fine-tuned over a lifetime, most motorists you ask would likely say they consider themselves to be competent enough behind the wheel, even if regular passengers in their vehicle might say otherwise – but where exactly do the UK’s most ‘confident’ drivers call home?
In a bid to get to the bottom of this, the car insurance team at Compare the Market has carried out a new survey to find where those who are most at-ease on the roads live.
More than 2,000 UK motorists took part in survey, which was carried out last October.
Not only does the survey reveal where in the country is home to the most ‘confident’ motorists, but it’s also highlighted which scenarios and car maintenance tasks drivers feel the most and least comfortable with.
Manchester motorists have found themselves sitting pretty in the top 10 ‘most confident’ list, claiming the pretty-impressive fourth position – with 84% reckoning their driving skills are decent.
Potentially surprisingly, Manchester is the only North West city to feature in the top 10, with other major cities on the list including Norwich, Glasgow, Belfast, and the English capital of London, but the top five spots are taken up by Cardiff and Plymouth in joint second, and Edinburgh and Bristol in joint third.
Which UK cities are home to the most ‘confident’ drivers?
| Rank | City | Percentage of ‘confident’ drivers |
| 1 | Southampton | 88% |
| =2 | Cardiff | 87% |
| =2 | Plymouth | 87% |
| =3 | Edinburgh | 85% |
| =3 | Bristol | 85% |
| 4 | Manchester | 84% |
| =5 | London | 83% |
| =5 | Glasgow | 83% |
| =5 | Belfast | 83% |
| =5 | Norwich | 83% |
So, which city has the ‘most confident’ drivers then? Well, that title is being taken by Southampton.
The study has revealed that Southampton has the highest proportion of confident drivers, with 88% of motorists in the city describing themselves as such.
Interestingly, the survey also revealed the type of car can influence confidence too, as those who drive a petrol car were found to be the most comfortable on the roads, with 84% suggesting this to be the case, while those who drive an electric car are almost 10% less confident behind the wheel.
When it comes to the conditions in which drivers weren’t the biggest fans of, winter weather was the top culprit – with one in three UK drivers saying they aren’t confident driving in ice (35%) or snow (31%)
Read more:
- More than 100 new ‘ultra’ speed cameras installed across Greater Manchester
- New survey finds Manchester has the lowest rate of fixed reported potholes in the UK
- Over half of drivers want noise detecting cameras installed across the UK to stop ‘boy racers’
Two-fifths (38%) of British drivers were found to be uncomfortable changing a tyre.
Some of the car maintenance tasks drivers feel the least comfortable with are driving abroad, driving in the fog, and driving after being involved in an accident.
Featured Image – Ryotando (via Unsplash)
