Frustrated driver hit with whopping £2k bill says he's 'rethinking owning car'

A motorist from the is seriously thinking about giving up his keys after a wrenching £2,000 repair bill left him floored. Ian couldn't hide his shock at the eye-watering cost to fix his trusty ride and confessed it would be "quite appealing" to just walk away from the whole driving business, especially after facing such steep charges.

Mulling over whether to "ditch the car" and wave goodbye to the "save all the money and hassle" that comes with keeping a set of wheels on the road, Ian aired his frustrations on Tonight show in April 2024, which delved into the skyrocketing expenses faced by drivers nationwide.

READ MORE:

In bewilderment, Ian spoke out: "This total is £2,109 for the sensor, the light. I don't even know what these things are." He sarcastically remarked on the hefty invoice: "Gasket and sensor £498. I got a free wash and vacuum though so that was worth it.

"I mean no one has two grand just lying around so it's got to come from somewhere. Based on these bills it would be quite appealing to give up the car that's for sure."

Facing the harsh realities of car ownership, Ian added: "I'd love to ditch the car if possible. Save all the money, save the hassle. We don't use public transport. I mean there's going to be lift shares I guess, we will have to resort to taxis if there aren't any other options."

It seems Ian isn't alone in feeling the pinch, as the average Brit now coughs up a whopping 31 per cent more for car repairs than they did merely four years ago, reports .

Stats from Confused.com pull back the curtain on a staggering truth – a full 63 per cent of UK drivers have felt their motoring budget strain even further in the last year.

That financial pressure is hitting hard, with almost one in five (18 per cent) owners contemplating waving farewell to their vehicles in just the past 12 months alone.

Digging deeper into the reasons, a third (32 per cent) of respondents cited the need for a more economical vehicle as their primary motivation.

Meanwhile, nearly a quarter (24 per cent) confessed that the cost of maintaining their car was outweighing its value. The finger of blame for these escalating costs is being pointed at the sharp increase in material and labour charges.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has reported a significant 16 percent hike in material costs between Q2 and Q3 of the previous year.

Labour costs weren't far behind with a 15 percent rise, while other expenses such as energy saw a hefty 46 per cent addition.

However, there's some good news from the Motor Ombudsman, who revealed that a substantial 54 per cent of garages are striving to shield customers from these higher charges.