London’s taxis have been ranked the best in the world, it was revealed yesterday.

The capital was comfortably the top city for cabs, according to a poll of 1,900 travellers worldwide by Hotels.com. But although London’s taxi drivers were voted the friendliest in the world, their cabs were seen as the most expensive globally.

Based on a number of categories, including cleanliness and quality of driving, the top 10 list of best cities for taxis saw New York in second place, followed by Tokyo, Berlin and Bangkok.

The poll also showed:

• Irish taxi drivers were the second most-friendly, with Parisian and New York cabbies the rudest;

• Roman cabbies were the worst drivers, while those in London were the best for knowing their city;

• New York was the best city for availability of cabs, while London had the safest taxis.

Hotels.com communications director Alison Couper said: “It’s great to hear that London has won the best taxi vote for the third year running.

“The journey to your accommodation should not be a stressful or off-putting experience as it can severely taint your view of a destination if bad.”