Kiwis most reliant on cars

Research has revealed New Zealand as the world’s most car-dependent country.

The study by confused.com involved analysing public-transport factors, such as access to it and transport prices.

The country on this list that relies the most on cars to get around is Aotearoa, with a score of 8.48 out of 10. 

It’s the most reliant on cars for two separate factors – its lack of efficiency of and access to public transport. This may be because transport funding in New Zealand is heavily skewed towards roading rather than public transport.

One of the main reasons this country ranks first is the lack of efficient public transport and its low railroad density of 1.5km per 100sq km. Additionally, public-transport costs for taxis and other forms of transport are some of the highest – at a cost of $23.54 on average for a 20-minute taxi trip and a transport-index score of 139.05.

Reliance on cars in New Zealand also means that it’s one of the most expensive countries in the world to buy and run a vehicle, according to the research. For example, a new car here can cost as much as NZ$20,000 more than the same model in the US. 

The next most car-dependent country is Greece with the second-lowest score for the efficiency and quality of its railroads, and an overall score of 7.62. It also had low scores for its efficiency of public transport and rail-transport kilometres per capita. 

Australia ranks as the sixth most car-dependent country on the planet. Compared to New Zealand’s overall score of 8.48, the lucky country comes out with 6.58.