THE average car owner in Bromsgrove could face an annual rise of £200 in the cost of petrol as living costs mount, analysis suggests.

The AA said soaring prices, which have topped more than 200 pence per litre at some forecourts, have seen some motorists swap their fuel-powered cars for electric alternatives, while others on lower incomes have had to sell their cars entirely.

On average, the cost of a litre of petrol in Bromsgrove stood at £1.86 over the four days to June 14, according to figures from petrolprices.com – up 39 per cent from £1.33 over a week in early June last year.

Department for Transport figures show the average annual mileage of a car driver in the West Midlands was 3,175 miles in 2018-19 – the latest figures before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which significantly impacted travel habits.

At current prices in Bromsgrove, a driver travelling this distance would spend an average of £744 on filling up a petrol car over the year – up from £534 based on prices in June last year.

Diesel drivers doing the same mileage would see their costs rise by 32 per cent, from £489 to £643.

Cost figures are based on the average fuel efficiency of petrol and diesel cars determined by research site NimbleFins, which analysed 30 million fuel-ups of more than 800,000 vehicles. Localised figures on average car mileage are not available.

Further figures from the RAC Foundation show petrol costs have risen by 42 per cent across England in the last year, from 130.08 pence per litre on June 10 2021 to 185.04 on June 13 this year.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said a recent AA poll showed that two per cent of the poorest car owners will have to sell their vehicle and not replace it as a result.

"Those drivers hit hardest by record petrol and diesel are in low-income households, young drivers trying to make a start in life and rural residents forced to drive much higher mileages than most," added Mr Cousens.

The added mileage for rural drivers is a critical issue for many motorists – an average car owner in London drove just 6.9 miles per trip in 2018-19, compared to 9.1 miles in the East Midlands, according to a DfT survey.

In the West Midlands, the average trip distance before the pandemic was 8.2 miles.

At current petrol prices in Bromsgrove, a journey of this length would cost an average of £1.93 – compared to £1.38 at the same point last year.