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They have used 182 cars, many of them prestige brands such as Rolls-Royce, Jaguar, Lexus and Tesla.

Birmingham Council’s tab was highest at £59,884. This covered leasing, maintenance and fuel for a Range Rover and a Jaguar F-Pace saloon with personalised plate.

Twenty local authorities had more than one limo in the three years to March.

Coventry had both Jaguar’s F-Pace and I-Pace models.

Glasgow boasted the fanciest car, a £235,000 Rolls-Royce Ghost given by an anonymous donor in 2018.

Just 35 percent of the 162 councils who responded to the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) were using eco vehicles.

Staffordshire declared a climate change emergency in July 2019 and has cut emissions by a quarter – yet spent £39,315 running a gas-guzzling Jaguar XJ.

An official at the council said in February: “We all have a role to play in tackling climate change and improving the environment.

“By working together, we can begin to look at changes in transport, residential properties, industry, agriculture and commercial activities.”

Of the 400 authorities approached by the TPA, just 162 provided figures. They revealed total spending of £2,689,959 on vehicles for mayors, lord provosts and committee chairs.

Edinburgh spent the most in Scotland at £48,847. It is the third-highest in the UK and runs two luxury BMW 730D SE diesel models.

Bolton, Charnwood, North East Lincs and Peterborough all splashed out on transferring personalised number plates between vehicles.

John O’Connell, TPA chief executive, said: “Some travel will of course be necessary as a mayor. But councils cannot claim to be cash-strapped if they are still paying for luxury Tesla and Jaguar vehicles.

“With many councils no longer leasing or buying cars, all other local authorities should follow suit and encourage civic leaders to use cheaper forms of transport.”

Councils have been approached for comment.

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