Australia's cars among world's most affordable

According to a report published by British automotive publication, Auto Express, Australians have access to some of the most affordable cars in the world.

The report focused on several aspects of car ownership across 11 different countries, including Australia, the US, UK, UAE, Germany, Russia, South Africa, Japan, Venezuela, India and Brazil.

It ensured the playing field was kept even by using the same model, a Volkswagen Golf 1.4, except for where the vehicle's cost had been adversely affected by market factors, in which case a similar type vehicle was used.

Australia came third in the list, with the price of the car locally being $A25,925; this means we were only narrowly beaten by Russia for second, where the cost of the equivalent vehicle was $A25,916. India took a convincing win with the cheapest car, costing an equivalent of $A15,195.

However, it wasn't all good news for Australian consumers, as insurance costs for the same vehicle were among the priciest of the 11 countries.

This isn't the first time Australia has been credited as one of the best places on earth to buy an automotive bargain, a point the FCAI (Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries) has been only too willing to make in the past.

According to a report by Automotive Industry Solutions, which studied a price and specification comparison between a variety of vehicles sold in Japan, the UK, New Zealand and Australia, the same vehicles with comparable equipment levels were almost always cheapest in Australia, unless the vehicles were imposed with the 33 per cent luxury tax.

That report was paid for by the FCAI, the chief executive of which Tony Weber said "the Auto Express report offered further confirmation that Australia's new car market is one of the most competitive in the world and continuing to offer great value for the customer."