These are trying times for the average motorist because of rising unemployment, rising fuel prices, and road tax, not to mention the cost of borrowing. As if the cost of motoring wasn’t high enough Sainsbury’s car insurance has confirmed that the biggest cost increase this year is attributable to car insurance quotes which saw a rise of 13% compared to 2008.

According to Sainsbury’s who calculate the cost of running a car each year the average motorist will spend around £2,338 this year compared to an estimated £2,277 last year. This represents a rise of 2.68% with car insurance premiums responsible for the biggest increase followed by Government road tax, which went up by 8%. At the time that these figures were produced fuel costs in this report were shown as slightly lower than 2008, however, in the last month the average price of petrol and diesel has risen dramatically with the average price of petrol and diesel hovering above £1.10 a litre.

If this news isn’t bad enough, compare these figures to 2007 and the total cost of motoring has increased by 11% with car insurance costing a whopping 23% more in 2009 followed closely by road tax, which has increased by 22%.

Apart from the success of the car scrapping scheme which some feel was rather too little too late, the outlook is rather bleak for the average motorist in terms of the costs associated with running a vehicle. In addition, it is evident that the huge increases in both car insurance and road tax witnessed over the last two years, coupled with a severe recession, are leading to more uninsured drivers which results in more claims the cost of which is passed on to us motorists in higher premiums.

When will the costs of motoring start falling? Answers on a postcard please!

In a bid to dispel the myth that cars are a subject that women know little about, Diamond Car Insurance ran a survey asking over 4,000 women drivers their views on motoring… and discovered some startling facts.

The survey entitled “The Diamond Women and Their Cars” revealed that 44% discuss cars with their friends and nearly two thirds admit to watching Jeremy Clarkson’s BBC2 hit motoring show Top Gear. Contrary to popular belief, less than 3% of women admitted to choosing a car based on its colour when the most popular reasons for selecting a vehicle were fuel economy and price followed by make and model.

In terms of practicalities, three quarters claimed to be able to check oil, water and tyre pressures with a quarter claiming to undertake the necessary checks before a long journey. Dispelling further myths, more women claimed to keep a torch and atlas in the glove compartment rather than make-up!

What this surveys highlights is the fact that many women are interested in all aspects of motoring despite the perception of some men that this is not the case. From a curiosity perspective, if Diamond Car Insurance were to survey the same women to find out their reasons for tuning into Top Gear, it could reveal some even more interesting findings!