The most expensive post codes to buy a parking permit

Cars are an expensive hobby.

Every aspect of them hurts your wallet: they cost money to buy, to move, to repair, to insure and even to leave outside your house.

But its this last aspect that can be most infuriating of all, with parking costs varying massively depending on where you live in the country.

Sure, councils have to balance the books, and yes, they have to ensure commuters don't block up your road for an easy stop-off on route to work - but that's no great comfort to those residents of Manchester and Birmingham.

A survey by Churchill Car Insurance has looked into how much each council charges its residents to obtain a parking permit, revealing something of a post code lottery.

Around 62 percent of councils in the UK issue parking permits, with only 15 percent of those doing so for no cost at all. While the average cost of an annual car park permit is £59.17, the top price - charged by Manchester City Council and Birmingham City Council - is a whopping £750. 

Related: These are the 10 cheapest places to rent in London

These charges are just the maximum though, with some councils offering sliding annual charges base on car type and location (some Birmingham City permits are just £16 a year). 

Listed below are the highest charges in the nation - so you might want to think twice before splashing out on that nippy little runabout if you live in the London borough of Islington.

THE HIGHEST ANNUAL PARKING PERMITS CHARGES IN THE UK

National average: £59.17

=1. Birmingham City Council: £750

=1. Manchester City Council: £750

3. London Borough of Islington: £434

4. Mole Valley Council: £350

5. City of Edinburgh: £280

6. Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council: £275

7. London Borough of Hackney: £265

8. London Borough of Lambeth: £260

=9. City of Glasgow Council: £250

=9. Sevenoaks District Council: £250

=9. Forest Heath District Council: £250

12. London Borough of Brent: £218

13. Mendip District Council: £215

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