Driver of world's smallest car reveals minuscule size of his petrol bill

A driver who claims to have the smallest car in the world has revealed that the current high petrol prices barely affects him as it costs just £7 to fill up the vehicle.

Car enthusiast Alex Orchin drives around near his home in Wivelsfield, Sussex, in his blue Peel P50 – which is just 134cm long, 98cm wide and 100cm high.

The miniature motor also has a five litre petrol tank – which Orchin says costs “around £7 or so” to fill up.

Orchin, who stands at 5ft 11in, says he became obsessed with the cars since watching Jeremy Clarkson drive one on Top Gear and last year drove the length of the UK in his tiny car – which has a top speed of just 23mph.

He said: “I got fixated on this idea of having a P50 just because it was so tiny but when I saw an original was £100,000 it kind of killed it off.

“But about four years ago I bought one of the newer ones from the Isle of Man – so I’m only the second owner.

"The car always gets attention – it is quite staggering because to me it's just a tiny car.”

Orchin says the car is “much smaller than you think it is” and the only thing he can fit in by the handbrake is a shopping bag.

The one-seater car is unable to fit a rucksack or a suitcase inside and forces Orchin knees to go on either side of the steering wheel.

He added: "I've owned a lot of cars and none of them get as much attention as this one.

"Normally if I pull up in a Morris Minor it is car people and enthusiasts that want to come and talk with me.

''But my Peel P50 attracts absolutely everyone, including people who aren't interested in cars.”

The P50 was first made on the Isle of Man in the 1960s and in 2010 were named the smallest production car ever built in the book of Guinness World Records.

The vehicle was built in 2017 but is based on the original design from the first production models in the 1960s.

Last year, Orchin started a 1,488 mile journey for charity from John O'Groats on 13 November, arriving in Land's End on 4 December – raising over £11,000 for Children in Need.