Driving costs for N.C. motorists expected to decrease

North Carolina motorists can expect to pay 7 cents less per mile to drive this year, according to an analysis by AAA Carolinas.

The average sedan will cost 56 cents a mile to drive this year, compared to 63 cents last year. The decrease can be largely attributed to a drop in the price of regular unleaded gasoline.

The average price for a gallon of unleaded self-serve gas in North Carolina on Wednesday was $2.01. Last April, regular unleaded gas averaged around $3.59.

The owner of a car would, on average, spend a total of $8,399 for insurance, maintenance, gasoline, tires, taxes, registration, depreciation and finance charges, based on driving 15,000 miles a year, AAA said.

"The lower operating costs represent good news in these hard economic times," said David E. Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas.