Cost of living crisis: Northumberland drivers could be forced to fork out extra £250 a year for fuel

The AA says soaring prices, which have topped more than £2 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 Northumberland stood at £1.84 over the four days to June 14, according to figures from petrolprices.com – up 41% from £1.30 over a week in early June last year.

Department for Transport figures show the average annual mileage of a car driver in the North East was 3,552 miles in 2018-19 – the latest figures before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which significantly impacted travel habits.

At current prices in Northumberland, a driver travelling this distance would spend an average of £826 on filling up a petrol car over the year – up from £584 based on prices in June last year.

Diesel drivers doing the same mileage would see their costs rise by 38%, from £516 to £713.

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.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said a recent AA poll showed that 2% 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," he added.

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 North East, the average trip distance before the pandemic was 8 miles.

At current petrol prices in Northumberland, a journey of this length would cost an average of £1.87 – compared to £1.32 at the same point last year.