New research from Kwik-Fit shows that while it now costs less to buy a vehicle, running and maintenance cost have increased sharply.

According to the research, the cost of purchasing a vehicle has fallen by 26.1 per cent over the past ten years.

However total vehicle running costs increased by 52 per cent between March 1997 and March 2007 and vehicle maintenance costs rose by 64.8 per cent.

Tax and insurance costs increased 50.2 per cent during the period, while fuel went up 48.4 per cent.

With overall inflation during this period rising by 32 per cent, it is now significantly more expensive to keep a car on the road.