Do you own a car? Is it necessary that you have your own car for your day-to-day living? And how much do you spend on the vehicle?
It could be that owning your own car is wasting your money. If this is the case, it would be a shrewd move to consider using hired vehicles, car clubs and/or hiring your own vehicle out.
So you’ve read this far - this must have got your attention! If the expense of ownership is not so obvious to you, then here are some facts that are worth considering: -
The average lifetime of a vehicle is just under ten years, making a massive industry that tears through a vast amount of resources to feed demand.
An average petrol or diesel vehicle releases 5.6 tonnes of carbon in manufacturing, meaning for each car we own we are adding that cost to our carbon budget.
And we’re adding to our carbon emissions even if we buy electric vehicles! The manufacture of these will release around 8.8 tonnes of carbon on average.
When carbon emissions need to fall to 4.5 tonnes annually per person by 2030, shouldn’t car ownership be a luxury we can axe?
It would be incredibly useful to society and our planet if we all seriously considered this question. It could be incredibly useful to you if you considered all the questions above! Think about the planet and about your wallet - read on about the benefits of some seriously cost-efficient transport choices.
Car clubs
These clubs offer a great way to have regular and easy access to vehicles. They are often city-specific for people who only want to use a vehicle from time to time, such as for occasional trips across town, picking up goods or driving into the countryside.
Car clubs typically work to a model where members pay a small monthly subscription which provides access to vehicles with a specified number of miles that can be travelled. Access to the vehicles and keyless entry mechanisms via smartphones are commonplace.
If you’re under 23 years of age it will be difficult for you to join, as for many clubs being over this age is a prerequisite to joining. New members will also need to provide their driving licence and credit card details. A key thing to look out for is the massive discounts new members can receive - so look out for these!
Some car clubs will also help you set up your own franchise. This means you could be the initiator - offering amazing benefits to your local community and to businesses who could collectively use these services.
Want to learn more about car clubs? Read more, find advice and recommendations here - at Better Century.
Car hire
If you want to use vehicles even less or for longer journeys, then car hiring should work out the most cost-efficient choice. These services are local options for just about anyone in the UK and will offer a range of vehicles in good condition to suit needs.
You could think about hiring a super-cool electric car for your holiday travel. This could add a great deal of pleasure to your trip: experiencing that modern engineering and taste of the future which would likely be missed by using your own vehicle! The atmosphere will thank you for this low-carbon choice. And if you’ve given up car ownership, then so will your wallet!
If you want to keep a vehicle, do not use it enough and want to make best use of it - then you should think of hiring it out. Our community has found that hiring out your car can earn you up to £300 per month!
Options exist for you to use mobile or computer applications to hire out your car. Keyless vehicle entry can be installed, pick up and drop off points arranged with those hiring, and the hire activity can all be covered with group insurance. Many companies that facilitate this even offer maintenance and cleaning services.
Want to learn more about car hire? Read more, find advice and recommendations here - at Better Century.
Living without a car
So you’re considering the suggestions that car clubs and hiring can replace your costly car ownership. You must be if you’ve read this far! But what about your other travel needs?
Living without a car demands organised delivery of goods. This is proven to have a smaller impact on the environment than using your own vehicle to pick stuff up. Life will potentially also require the use of two wheeler vehicles and greater use of public transport.
You can learn more about using bicycles, motorcycles, mopeds and scooters within our web pages here - at Better Century. Look out also for information on the impacts and benefits of public transport and of lift sharing within our pages!
We spend on average 3% of our lives stuck behind the wheel of a car and the typical driver spends around £388 per month to drive their own vehicle. Owning a car costs us money, carbon and stress! Surely there’s a better way?
Use any of these means of alternative transport together, whilst ditching or hiring out your own car, and you can help us all achieve a healthier wallet and carbon budget.
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