Bradford is the second most expensive place in the UK for motor insurance, a survey has revealed.

Drivers in parts of the district have to fork out nearly twice as much a year as those in other areas of the country, with only Oldham, near Manchester, being more expensive, according to the City Car Club study.

Its research shows the average premium across a range of Bradford city centre postcodes is £371.07, compared to a national average of £212.99.

And, according to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, the Barkerend area of Bradford has the highest rate of uninsured drivers in the country.

The Frizinghall and Heaton areas also feature in the top ten places for uninsured drivers, according to MIB statistics.

AA spokesman Ian Crowder said there could be a link between uninsured drivers and higher premium rates in parts of the city He said: “It is possible that certainly parts of Bradford are more expensive than other parts of the country.

“It is probably unfair to tar the whole of Bradford with the same brush because there will be parts that have average prices.

“There could be two or three reasons for this.

“First of all, the highest-premium places could be where there is the highest level of car crime.

“Uninsured driving could be a factor, because if you have an accident with an uninsured driver then you’re going to lose your no-claims bonus and your premium will probably go up."

The City Car Club, which runs the UK’s largest pay-as-you-go car club network, recently started a partnership with the University of Bradford and Bradford College. There are three City Cars located near the university and a further roll-out of cars throughout the city centre is planned for early next year.

The survey calculated premiums for a 40-year-old man, with five years of no claims, driving 4,000 miles a year in a Ford Fiesta 07 plate, valued at £5,000. Prices were taken from the cheapest insurer on a range of comparison websites.

e-mail: james.rush@telegraphandargus.co.uk

Premium hotspots

According to the City Car Club survey, the most expensive places for motor insurance are (average premiums in brackets):

  • 1 Oldham – £392.28
  • 2 Bradford – £371.07
  • 3 Liverpool – £324.63
  • 5 Bury – £302.67
  • 6 Manchester – £280.16
  • 7 London – £273.23
  • 8 Birmingham – £268.11
  • 9 Leeds – £257.42
  • 10 Wigan – £249.07
'Mobiles the big menace'

Drivers using mobile phones while behind the wheel are the biggest menace on the roads, a survey revealed yesterday.

As many as 72 per cent of motorists think drivers using mobiles are most likely to cause an accident, the Association of British Insurers poll found. The next category most likely to cause an accident was considered to be young male motorists, with uninsured drivers after that on the list.