KINGSTON upon Thames has the highest average credit score in Britain, new research shows.

London's KT postcode topped the charts in a recent analysis by price comparison website MoneySupermarket.

Typically wealthy areas of the country such as South-West London and Surrey ranked highest in the company's investigation of credit scores from January 2022 - while Northern cities Sunderland and Doncaster did worst.

In the KT area, which makes up most of Kingston borough, the average credit score was 593 out of 710 - twenty points higher than the average for the UK.

SW postcodes came fourth in the league table with an average score of 588, tied with Redhill after Guildford (590).

Kingston upon Thames has often ranked highly in assessments of London's wealthiest and least deprived boroughs.

In 2020, the borough came 6th out of 32 for average incomes of full-time workers, at £30,700 - higher than the capital's mean score of £27,300.

House prices in Kingston borough are also sky-high, at £537,977 as of last month - £200,000 higher than the UK average of £341,019, though only the 16th highest in London.

Kingston also scores well in the UK's multiple deprivation index, ranking 27,297 out of 32,844 LSOAs (Lower Layer Super Output Areas) - here the higher the score, the less deprived the area is relative to others.

However, the area scored less impressively on its rating for housing and services, at 14,090 - putting it in the bottom half of UK LSOAs on this measure.

Jo Thornhill, money spokesperson for Money Supermarket, suggested that wealth is not as important as good habits in contributing to a good credit score.

She said: "Our research finds credit scores are highest in traditionally affluent areas like Kingston upon Thames and Harrogate, but that doesn't mean that having a high credit score is the preserve of the wealthy.

"On the contrary, there are a range of steps you can take to improve your credit score that don't depend on income. For example, making sure you pay your bills on time, getting on the electoral roll, and closing any unused credit cards."

Thornhill also emphasised the importance of credit scores, adding: "Having a good credit score is important if you want to borrow money in the form of a bank loan, credit card or taking out a mortgage over a longer period of time.

"It helps lenders gauge whether you're a responsible borrower – so the higher your score, the more likely you'll be approved for a financial product."

Tips for improving credit scores can be found HERE

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