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Car finance ›
Global Driver Satisfaction Index
Updated: Friday, 11 October 2024
Which countries are the best for drivers?
Driving should be enjoyable for motorists, however, this isn’t always guaranteed. Sometimes driving can become frustrating or in some cases, a dangerous experience. Factors such as the quality of roads, the cost of fuel, parking and of course, the level of congestion, all affect how pleasant your trip will be. It’s probably no surprise that driving experiences can vary a lot around the world.
So, which countries are the best and worst for motorists? The car finance experts here at Moneybarn, have analysed the motoring experiences in 35 countries, to reveal which country is home to the most satisfied drivers and the countries where getting behind the wheel is more road rage-inducing.
The best countries for drivers
1. Japan and Singapore: Driver satisfaction score 7.10/10
Two Asian countries, Japan and Singapore share the top spot with a score of 7.10 out of 10.
The fact that Japan shares the top spot comes as no surprise as the country is globally recognised for producing some of the safest and most reliable cars on the market. The country ranks high thanks to its road quality and ranks first when it comes to its concentration of speed cameras (1 per million people). Japan also has one of the cheapest diesel prices too (£0.89 per litre), ranking third for the factor.Â
Singapore prides itself on its city planning, so it’s no wonder it takes the top spot for road quality at 90.9 out of 100. It’s also an exceptionally safe country to drive in, sharing the top spot for road deaths at only 2 per 100,000 people. On top of this, the country’s off-street parking is some of the cheapest on the list at £1.45.
2. Turkey: Driver satisfaction score 6.56/10
Turkey takes second place thanks to its very low parking costs, ranking first for the factor. It’s also one of the least congested countries at 19% (meaning that during rush hour, traffic only moves 19% slower than it would in normal conditions) making it very safe for drivers. Fuel is also very cheap in the country too, ranking in the top five for both petrol and diesel. Â
3. Spain: Driver satisfaction score 6.42/10
Taking third place is Spain, ranking relatively highly across the board giving the country a score of 6.42 out of 10. The country has one of the least congested capitals with traffic only moving 18% slower in rush hour than in normal conditions, thanks to a low traffic zone in the city introduced in 2019 aimed at curbing pollution and encouraging public transport use.
The worst countries for drivers
1. Greece: Driver satisfaction score 2.73/10Â Â Â
Greece has the unfortunate title of the worst country for drivers. The country scores poorly when it comes to road safety, with congestion levels in its capital averaging 37% as fears surrounding the COVID pandemic have turned people away from public transport. Greece also has a high proportion of road deaths (8 per 100,000), thanks to drivers’ overestimating their abilities and disregarding safety features like seatbelts. Petrol prices in Greece are in the top five most expensive on the list too (£1.64 per litre).Â
2. Italy: Driver satisfaction score 3.12/10
Another Mediterranean country came in second, with Italy narrowly behind Greece. Also scoring poorly when it comes to driver safety, the country has a relatively poor quality road infrastructure for a western European nation (scoring only 56.8 out of 100) and ranks in the bottom five for its high concentration of speed cameras too. Italy also has some of the highest fuel costs, with citizens needing to pay £1.59 for petrol per litre and £1.64 for diesel per litre.
3. Romania: Driver satisfaction score 3.55/10
Taking third place is Romania, with a driver satisfaction score of 3.55 out of 10. The country scores poorly thanks to its dangerous highways, placing last for the quality of its roads (32.6 out of 100) with as much as a third of its public roads being dirt roads. The congestion level in its capital Bucharest is also the highest too, at 50% and it ranks in the bottom three for its high number of road traffic deaths (10 per 100,000).
The best country for…
Quality of roads: Singapore (90.9 out of 100)
Road quality is one of the most important factors when it comes to driving safely in any country. Singapore leads the way in road infrastructure, scoring 90.9 out of 100 according to the World Economic Forum. Singapore also has some of the highest road taxes in the world and a lot of this money goes into maintaining its road network.Â
Congestion: Finland (Congestion level of 16%)
Finland’s capital Helsinki had the best score when it comes to congestion, at just 16%. This means traffic flow during peak times is just 16% slower than it would be during normal conditions, thanks to the country’s focus on public transport clearing roads for motorists. Helsinki also introduced a low-emission zone in its city centre to cut down on congestion in 2019.
Static speed cameras: Japan (1 per million people)
While speed cameras are a necessity to deter dangerous driving and keep road users safe, nobody wants to get a speeding ticket when they’re driving. Japan takes the title of the fewest static cameras, only having one per million people. However, there are still plenty of handheld and mobile cameras to watch out for.
Road traffic deaths: Singapore, Norway & Switzerland (2 per 100,000 people)
Traffic safety is incredibly important and can be affected by lots of factors, from the quality of the roads, the laws governing the roads and the behaviour of other road users. Three countries share the title of the safest roads with Singapore, Norway and Switzerland having just two road traffic deaths per 100,000 people.
Off-street parking cost: Turkey (£0.80 for two hours)
Finding a place to park is always a challenge, and when you’ve found the perfect spot you might have to shell out an eye-watering amount, especially if you’re looking for a safe and secure location off-street. Turkey is the cheapest country for this factor, where you can expect to pay £0.80 for two hours of off-street parking.
Petrol & diesel cost per litre: Malaysia (£0.39 and £0.40 per litre)
Aside from road taxes and maintenance, the biggest expense for motorists is fuel and the cheapest country for both petrol and diesel is Malaysia. The country is one of the biggest oil-producing nations in Southeast Asia and has generous government subsidies for fuel too. This means drivers in Malaysia pay an average of just £0.39 per litre for petrol and £0.40 for a litre of diesel.
Methodology
Beginning with a list of all 195 nations we ranked 32 countries for which data was available based on the following factors, giving each one a normalised score out of ten for each factor, before taking an average across all seven factors.
Note: road traffic deaths were given a heavier weight in the index due to the impact dangerous driving has on the safety and satisfaction of other road users.Â
Quality of road infrastructure
A score out of 100 was based on the quality of road infrastructure in the country according to the World Economic Forum.
Congestion levels in the capital
The congestion level in the country’s capital city according to TomTom’s 2021 Traffic Index. This percentage shows the additional time that a journey would take in each city when compared to free-flow conditions.
Static speed cameras
The number of static speed cameras according to SCDB.info, per million people in the country.
Road traffic deaths
The road traffic death rate per 100,000 people according to the World Health Organization.
Off-street parking cost
The average cost for two hours of off-street parking according to Parkopedia’s Global Parking Index.
Petrol cost per litre
The average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol according to GlobalPetrolPrices.com.
Diesel cost per litre
The average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol according to GlobalPetrolPrices.com.
Which countries are the best for drivers?
Driving should be enjoyable for motorists, however, this isn’t always guaranteed. Sometimes driving can become frustrating or in some cases, a dangerous experience. Factors such as the quality of roads, the cost of fuel, parking and of course, the level of congestion, all affect how pleasant your trip will be. It’s probably no surprise that driving experiences can vary a lot around the world.
So, which countries are the best and worst for motorists? The car finance experts here at Moneybarn, have analysed the motoring experiences in 35 countries, to reveal which country is home to the most satisfied drivers and the countries where getting behind the wheel is more road rage-inducing.
The best countries for drivers
1. Japan and Singapore: Driver satisfaction score 7.10/10
Two Asian countries, Japan and Singapore share the top spot with a score of 7.10 out of 10.
The fact that Japan shares the top spot comes as no surprise as the country is globally recognised for producing some of the safest and most reliable cars on the market. The country ranks high thanks to its road quality and ranks first when it comes to its concentration of speed cameras (1 per million people). Japan also has one of the cheapest diesel prices too (£0.89 per litre), ranking third for the factor.Â
Singapore prides itself on its city planning, so it’s no wonder it takes the top spot for road quality at 90.9 out of 100. It’s also an exceptionally safe country to drive in, sharing the top spot for road deaths at only 2 per 100,000 people. On top of this, the country’s off-street parking is some of the cheapest on the list at £1.45.
2. Turkey: Driver satisfaction score 6.56/10
Turkey takes second place thanks to its very low parking costs, ranking first for the factor. It’s also one of the least congested countries at 19% (meaning that during rush hour, traffic only moves 19% slower than it would in normal conditions) making it very safe for drivers. Fuel is also very cheap in the country too, ranking in the top five for both petrol and diesel. Â
3. Spain: Driver satisfaction score 6.42/10
Taking third place is Spain, ranking relatively highly across the board giving the country a score of 6.42 out of 10. The country has one of the least congested capitals with traffic only moving 18% slower in rush hour than in normal conditions, thanks to a low traffic zone in the city introduced in 2019 aimed at curbing pollution and encouraging public transport use.
The worst countries for drivers
1. Greece: Driver satisfaction score 2.73/10Â Â Â
Greece has the unfortunate title of the worst country for drivers. The country scores poorly when it comes to road safety, with congestion levels in its capital averaging 37% as fears surrounding the COVID pandemic have turned people away from public transport. Greece also has a high proportion of road deaths (8 per 100,000), thanks to drivers’ overestimating their abilities and disregarding safety features like seatbelts. Petrol prices in Greece are in the top five most expensive on the list too (£1.64 per litre).Â
2. Italy: Driver satisfaction score 3.12/10
Another Mediterranean country came in second, with Italy narrowly behind Greece. Also scoring poorly when it comes to driver safety, the country has a relatively poor quality road infrastructure for a western European nation (scoring only 56.8 out of 100) and ranks in the bottom five for its high concentration of speed cameras too. Italy also has some of the highest fuel costs, with citizens needing to pay £1.59 for petrol per litre and £1.64 for diesel per litre.
3. Romania: Driver satisfaction score 3.55/10
Taking third place is Romania, with a driver satisfaction score of 3.55 out of 10. The country scores poorly thanks to its dangerous highways, placing last for the quality of its roads (32.6 out of 100) with as much as a third of its public roads being dirt roads. The congestion level in its capital Bucharest is also the highest too, at 50% and it ranks in the bottom three for its high number of road traffic deaths (10 per 100,000).
The best country for…
Quality of roads: Singapore (90.9 out of 100)
Road quality is one of the most important factors when it comes to driving safely in any country. Singapore leads the way in road infrastructure, scoring 90.9 out of 100 according to the World Economic Forum. Singapore also has some of the highest road taxes in the world and a lot of this money goes into maintaining its road network.Â
Congestion: Finland (Congestion level of 16%)
Finland’s capital Helsinki had the best score when it comes to congestion, at just 16%. This means traffic flow during peak times is just 16% slower than it would be during normal conditions, thanks to the country’s focus on public transport clearing roads for motorists. Helsinki also introduced a low-emission zone in its city centre to cut down on congestion in 2019.
Static speed cameras: Japan (1 per million people)
While speed cameras are a necessity to deter dangerous driving and keep road users safe, nobody wants to get a speeding ticket when they’re driving. Japan takes the title of the fewest static cameras, only having one per million people. However, there are still plenty of handheld and mobile cameras to watch out for.
Road traffic deaths: Singapore, Norway & Switzerland (2 per 100,000 people)
Traffic safety is incredibly important and can be affected by lots of factors, from the quality of the roads, the laws governing the roads and the behaviour of other road users. Three countries share the title of the safest roads with Singapore, Norway and Switzerland having just two road traffic deaths per 100,000 people.
Off-street parking cost: Turkey (£0.80 for two hours)
Finding a place to park is always a challenge, and when you’ve found the perfect spot you might have to shell out an eye-watering amount, especially if you’re looking for a safe and secure location off-street. Turkey is the cheapest country for this factor, where you can expect to pay £0.80 for two hours of off-street parking.
Petrol & diesel cost per litre: Malaysia (£0.39 and £0.40 per litre)
Aside from road taxes and maintenance, the biggest expense for motorists is fuel and the cheapest country for both petrol and diesel is Malaysia. The country is one of the biggest oil-producing nations in Southeast Asia and has generous government subsidies for fuel too. This means drivers in Malaysia pay an average of just £0.39 per litre for petrol and £0.40 for a litre of diesel.
Methodology
Beginning with a list of all 195 nations we ranked 32 countries for which data was available based on the following factors, giving each one a normalised score out of ten for each factor, before taking an average across all seven factors.
Note: road traffic deaths were given a heavier weight in the index due to the impact dangerous driving has on the safety and satisfaction of other road users.Â
Quality of road infrastructure
A score out of 100 was based on the quality of road infrastructure in the country according to the World Economic Forum.
Congestion levels in the capital
The congestion level in the country’s capital city according to TomTom’s 2021 Traffic Index. This percentage shows the additional time that a journey would take in each city when compared to free-flow conditions.
Static speed cameras
The number of static speed cameras according to SCDB.info, per million people in the country.
Road traffic deaths
The road traffic death rate per 100,000 people according to the World Health Organization.
Off-street parking cost
The average cost for two hours of off-street parking according to Parkopedia’s Global Parking Index.
Petrol cost per litre
The average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol according to GlobalPetrolPrices.com.
Diesel cost per litre
The average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol according to GlobalPetrolPrices.com.
For a better road ahead
Moneybarn is a member of the Finance and Leasing Association, the official trade organisation of the motor finance industry. The FLA promotes best practice in the motor finance industry for lending and leasing to consumers and businesses.
Moneybarn is the trading style of Moneybarn No. 1 Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 04496573, and Moneybarn Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 02766324. The registered address for these companies is: Athena House, Bedford Road, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3LJ.
Moneybarn’s VAT registration number is 180 5559 52.
Moneybarn Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services reference No. 702781)
Moneybarn No. 1 Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services reference No. 702780)
