Motorists have benefited from low oil prices and interest rates but have been caught out by other costs.

The cost of things such as registration, driver’s licence fees, tolls and parking is up 65 per cent over the past decade, government figures reveal.

Despite sliding oil prices, falling interest rates and lower purchase prices for cars, the overall cost of private motoring in Australia has climbed 5.2 per cent since mid-2006, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Its inflation data shows that fuel is 9 per cent cheaper than a decade ago and cars cost 9.5 per cent less, but spare part prices have climbed 27 per cent and the cost of maintenance and repairs is up 24 per cent. The 65 per cent jump in “other motor vehicle services” compares with overall inflation, or CPI, rising 26 per cent.

Finance specialists say car insurance costs have climbed, but the interest rates we pay on car loans have dropped sharply.

Research by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission has found that many car buyers don’t consider costs such as interest, insurance and servicing.

“This may be due to factors such as information overload and decision fatigue,” said ASIC’s senior executive leader of financial literacy, Miles Larbey.

ASIC recently launched an app, MoneySmart Cars, to help people work out their total cost of motoring. Mr Larbey said it had been downloaded more than 6000 times and one parent said his son who used it was “horrified at the actual cost of a new car that he was thinking of buying”.

The increasing size of cars means people are paying more for things such as registration and insurance. New data this week showed that annual passenger car sales were at a 19-year low but SUV sales were at record highs.

Consumer finance specialist Lisa Montgomery said more people were buying mass-produced Asian cars “with all the bells and whistles” and were embracing prestige.

“For some people, the higher up you sit in a motor vehicle the more prestige you have. It used to be sports cars, but the SUV is the new black,” she said.

Ms Montgomery predicted an increase in the use of car-sharing services to help city residents cut costs.

People’s Choice Credit Union CEO Steve Laidlaw said registration costs had reached historic highs.

“The cost to register, insure and run larger cars is generally higher, so budget-wise consumers who don’t need a six or eight cylinder vehicle can save in running costs by downsizing,” he said.

Falling interest rates have helped reduce car financing costs dramatically. Mr Laidlaw said since 2008, the average interest rate on a fixed car loan had dropped from 10 per cent to 6 per cent.

“On an approved $20,000 fixed car loan over a five-year term, today’s car buyer is saving on average more than $1300 in interest payments compared to 10 years ago,” he said.

Australian Institute of Petroleum figures show the national average cost of petrol was 123.2c per litre last financial year, down from 152.5c in 2013-14.