By By Derek Baldwin, Senior Reporter   XPRESS    www.xpress4me.com
Factoring in cost variables such as price of petrol and Salik toll charges, an analysis by XPRESS shows it costs about Dh35,017 a year to drive a mid-size car such as Honda Accord, Chevrolet Epica, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry in Dubai. That’s more than 10 times the yearly Dh3,240 cost of purchasing an unlimited Nol card to travel by the Dubai Metro – a monthly Metro pass for unlimited trips costs Dh270 ($73).
The AAA cost formula uses specific data to come up with standard estimates on annual car operation expenses including fuel, maintenance, tyres, insurance, licence and registration, as well as finance fees.
When a car owner drives an average of 24,000km a year in Dubai, the annual cost of petrol is Dh3,647. The AAA estimates it costs an average Dh6,794 to pay for daily parking in large urban cities such as Dubai.
The association also factors in the cost of owning a car or renting monthly – in Dubai, the average cost for a mid-sized car is around Dh1,500 a month ($408).
Average Salik toll charges of Dh4 per trip at two trips per day on Shaikh Zayed Road for 22 business days amount to Dh176 a month or Dh2,012 a year. Drivers should also factor in basic Dh3,600 insurance a year in Dubai.
(The AAA formula does not take into account public transport costs such as buses or taxis. As the Metro will close daily at 11pm, some riders may be forced to take other forms of public transport.)
