Europe: car prices by country | Statista
Switzerland had the highest price tags on new passenger cars sold in 2020, overtaking Norway for the first time in five years.
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UK Pricing piss take
- Thread starter tomorrowman
- Start date
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Cardo
Active Member
As someone else already mentioned, we’ve been paying higher prices since long before Brexit came along. Not just with cars, but everything. I remember challenging an Apple UK manager about the differences in price between the same models in the US and UK back in the early noughties. They claimed it was due to VAT, however some of the prices were in the vicinity of 50% higher than the US. We get paid more in this country, therefore we can afford to pay more. Supply and demand does the rest.
Indeed BYD and others are making really big gains over there. Not checked but guessing as they don’t really make cars anymore they also don’t have a need to put high import tariffs on the cars. No way western companies would be able to compete so is probably a good example of what will happen if you allow China in without tariffs.
Do we want cheaper cars at the cost of letting China dominate the market or do we suck up higher prices to protect businesses more close to home. That’s the choice basically.
We don’t earn more than people in the US do, it’s less even when you factor in cost of living differences. If you focus on some sectors like IT that I work in, the differences are eye watering.
Cardo
Active Member
If you look at the median, the US population earn a relative pittance. There are also a lot of people that earn a lot of money. The tech sector is definitely a gravy train in the US.
Cardo
Active Member
Seeing as we’re looking at the EU, not the US, here’s some figures:
UK average income (2022): £34963
Spain average income (2022): €29113
That’s from Statistica.com
Current exchange rate is £1 = €1.16 so that Spanish income is around £25.1k.
Everything is considerably cheaper in Spain to account for the relatively lower incomes. Works well for us as we have property in Spain.
UK average income (2022): £34963
Spain average income (2022): €29113
That’s from Statistica.com
Current exchange rate is £1 = €1.16 so that Spanish income is around £25.1k.
Everything is considerably cheaper in Spain to account for the relatively lower incomes. Works well for us as we have property in Spain.
I'm not convinced this is true anymore. With the exception of the supercharger network which is still light years ahead, i'm not sure they do anything better anymore. They certainly do a number of things worse!
If they open up the entire supercharge network to all manufacturers, by the time I replace my Model Y, I'll be getting something else.
And what would that be -- I am genuinely curious? We are looking to help our son with a replacement for his current car in the next 12 months and struggle finding an alternative. Safety is our number 1 priority criteria, followed by inexpensive ongoing costs. Insurance cost is the biggest hurdle at the moment steering us away from a lovingly pre-owned Model 3. But all of the EV options seem to get hit hard for a 23 year-old (albeit with perfect driving record).
Like some others here, we used to routinely buy our cars in Europe - 3 Honda's (including an S2000 which I ran for 3 years / 22k miles and sold for £500 less than I paid for it) and a Renault.
Saved many, many thousands of pounds vs. best offers I could negotiate through UK dealerships.
Saved many, many thousands of pounds vs. best offers I could negotiate through UK dealerships.
Yes but I guess at the moment those people aren’t the target market for an expensive EV.
I forget the exact percentages but this country isn’t in a good shape either. About 20% can barely feed themselves, another 20% are extremely poor. Probably the next 40% get by and can maybe afford a cheap holiday in UK or Spain once a year at most. You’ve got to probably be in the top 20% of earners to even consider buying a new car and maybe top 15% before a Tesla would be something you’d consider.
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I suspect my requirements are slightly different to a 23 year olds. If I was 23 i'd probably be looking at a cupra born or similar. My main requirements are space and to an extent range. Pick of the list for me currently are an EV9 or Polestar 3. the latest Gen Taycan is tempting, but the boot space is tiny. Frunk and under boot storage are important for me as I have a retriever that takes up most of my boot in the MY. The polestar 3 and EV9 have space for the dog and some luggage, My EV's are through salary sacrifice, so a lot of my decision will be based on what's on offer at the time, and if my faith in the none Tesla charge network has improved.
i don't worry about insurance cost as its part of the salary sacrifice, however I did do a quote on my Model Y. The numbers were silly at 3 times more then i've paid for similar or more powerful cars in the past.
speedyranger74
Member
It's very difficult to find specific data points to compare directly but most corporate occupations in the US earn significantly more in the US than here. As others have said, that is generally the target market for above-average priced cars. I can lift & shift my position to one of my company's US locations and get a 40%+ pay bump and still be doing exactly the same job. I was tempted for a while to move but it's not practical for me at the moment.
General cost of living is much higher there though, for basic amenities like grocery shopping etc. We only really notice the big ticket items like cars being much cheaper over there as we generally don't see the cost of daily expenses. Healthcare is the obvious one we do know about.
Do our horses kick harder than theirs? Or should ours say BHP while theirs HP, or PS or are we genuinely being short changed?! Odd whatever
Drew57
Active ember
A few days ago I was discussing relative salary differentials with my Idaho friend over a beer & he cited a DPD driver he knows who is earning well over $150k pa (including some overtime but 'basic' accounts for nearly $100k). Salaries are well up compared to the UK & this isn't typical but I know a 57y old in LA who pays $250k pa medical insurance cover for his three person family.
Sorry, but I think you're way off here.
As important as it is, the economy and the job market is much greater than the IT industry. As with any job, if you're making money, the company will pay you to keep making money in any competitive market. Tech makes money. Investors want more. High earners keep the money train rolling.
My industry is healthcare. The starting salary for a New starter within my profession is MORE in the UK than the average salary across the entire US, as per Indeed and Forbes.
You mention cost of living, but it's much cheaper here. Have you seen the pricing in US Supermarkets Vs. UK? If you think it's cheaper here, I don't believe you've been to any local supermarket within the USA. It's significantly higher for most products.
Some examples: (Walgreens Vs Asda). Cheapest in bold.
Drinks
2 Litre Coke Zero - $3.39 (£2.72) - UK price £2
Tropicana Smooth 52flOZ - $5.29 (£4.25) - UK Price £4
Ocean Spray Cranberry 1.8L - $4.99 (£4.01) - UK price £3.70 (2L)
Food
Campbell's chicken soup - $2 (£1.61) - UK price £1.50
Ground Beef 20%fat - 453 Gram - $6 (£4.82) - UK price £2.49 for 500 Gram
Bacon - 16Oz - $8.99 (£7.22) - UK price £3
White bread Loaf - $3.99 (£3.20) - UK Price 90p
Jasmine Rice 5lb - $8.99 (£7.22)- UK price £7 for double (5KG)
Barilla Spgehtti 450g - $2 (£1.61) - UK Price £1.50 for 500g
Pringles - 1 tube - $3.49 (£2.80) - UK price £1.85
Grated cheese 8oz - $3.99 (£3.20) - UK price £2.40
Alcohol
12 bottles of Stella - $15 (£12.05) - UK price £10
4 cans of Jd & Coke - $13.50 (£10.84) - UK price £6.60 (£8.80 NOT ON OFFER)
Average kWh may be lower in USA, but then again we have reduced pricing for EV's with smart meters etc.
It's also proven the cost of living is higher in the US, with a much greater change when it comes to city life. For example, you would need to earn £3,700 a month in London vs £4,700 in NYC to have a good quality of life
Cost of Living United Kingdom vs United States | IAS
The cost of living is generally higher in the US than in the UK because of the costs of housing, healthcare, utilities, and more.
iasservices.org.uk
Finally, this doesn't take into account our healthcare benefits, state pension, Holiday entitlement etc. My friend in Florida gets 10 days holiday/year. I get 33 (plus bank holidays). That's 4.5weeks extra paid leave. In effect, My friend works 250 days/year and I work 227 but get paid more.
TL;DR - Cost of living is higher in USA, and in comparison, Wages aren't higher across most industries. More paid time off work in the UK. IT Salaries are not a sound point of reference.
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