Survey: Sydney ranks worst for motorists

Melbourne may be Australia's most liveable city (so says The Economist), but Adelaide has come out on top in a new report as our most car-friendly city.

The latest annual report from Virgin Car Insurance shows that for two hours of parking in Adelaide's CBD, motorists pay on average just $9.80, while Melbourne drivers will pay around $20.

Adelaide climbed from fourth to pinch top spot from Perth, while also leap-frogging Darwin and Hobart.

While Adelaide ranked the best on an overall result, Hobart took the crown for cheapest parking, averaging $2 for two hours in the CBD.

At the other end of the list is Sydney, where two hours of commercial CBD parking will set you back an average of $43.30.

"Skyrocketing costs when it comes to tolls, insurance and parking fines means more pain for Sydney drivers," Virgin's Nick Larkworthy said.

"The cost of running a car in Sydney is undoubtedly starting to stretch the budget and force people off the road."

On-street parking is no easier in Sydney, with only 10,483 spaces compared to 42,000 in the heart of Melbourne.

The report said that the average parking fine in Melbourne will sting you half as much as what the Sydney council will take.

Sydney motorists also pay about 12 cents more per kilometre on tolled roads compared to Melbourne and Brisbane, averaging 32 cents per compared to 20 cents to the north and south.

Car Friendliest Capital Cities Ranking
• Adelaide
• Hobart
• Perth
• Darwin
• Melbourne
• Brisbane
• Canberra
• Sydney

What's your say, do you agree with the above research or is it all comparable?