This is a collaborative post
I am a car owner, as I am sure are many of you. Personally, I can not believe how much has changed because of Covid19. Not just the mask-wearing and working from home but the costs of things and the amount and type of travel we all do. Did you miss two years of holidays? I know we did!
Who owns cars
Not everyone who did own a car still does due to changes in work. For example, many families who had two cars may now realise they only need one due to one adult currently working from home. Also, if you have lost a job due to the pandemic maybe you also lost the company car you had, or the ability to afford your car.
Many people also have reconsidered the environmental impacts of owning a car and considered whether they can walk or use public transport more which may mean the family no longer needs a car or no longer needs two cars.
Fuel costs
The fuel costs are a huge change in recent months and years. In my area, it now costs around £2 a litre for fuel which in my eyes is extortionate but of course, we all have to pay it if we want to drive anywhere! The reason for the increase in fuel costs seems to primarily be the war in Ukraine. However, I also believe there also has been some extra increases by greedy companies but what can we do?
Why not look at your essential journies and work out a fuel budget? Would it be cheaper to order your food shopping online to be delivered when the delivery slot is only £2? Not only will this save on fuel but it also will save on the money spent when shopping as you will not impulse buy as easily!
Availability of new cars
I have not had a new car for a few years but have seen some stories online of how long people have been waiting for new cars they have ordered due to delays in manufacturing abroad and then transporting to the country. Maybe this is making more people turn to the second-hand market?
Insurance and upfront costs
Whilst the costs of insurance and upfront costs such as tax, MOT etc have not changed drastically they have always been something to consider and with many people having concerns with the rise of living increase this is something that has become more prominent in my opinion. Whereas in the past fewer people were having to add up what they could afford, now even the richest people are struggling.
Affordability due to the rise in living costs
The cost of living, in general, has increased, butter, for example, has doubled in price and many other foods and household products have increased significantly whilst wages and benefits have not changed much at all. Energy costs have massively changed and many people are having to really budget what they can afford. The cost of running a vehicle has to come after food and energy costs and as these have increased so much the amount of money available for your vehicle has sadly drastically reduced.
A great way to check what you can afford and look at the different monthly payments and how they would influence the cost of the vehicle you can afford is carpaymentcalculator.net it makes working out your budgets really easy.
Making do instead of upgrading
Many people are now having to make do with the vehicle they have instead of upgrading to a new car. This could mean buying things like a roof box to increase space, repairing a car they usually would have sold or perhaps saving money on valeting and cleaning.
Holidaying using a car has increased
Due to the pandemic, cost of living crisis and of course the backlog and issues we seem to be encountering in airports, many people are choosing staycations. All those people who are instead holidaying in the UK are now having to fit everything in their family car and instead of worrying about how flashy their car is they are thinking more about how practical it is!
Has the pandemic, fuel costs and war in Ukraine affected your car or your choice in car? Let me know in the comments below.
I can’t be without a car, I understand how those in cities have good transport links, but rural living dictates the use of a car to get anywhere, regardless of all the spiralling costs.
i would not be without a car
I wish I could be without a car but living in a small village with no transport links makes it completely impossible
It’s not only the cost of running a car that has increased, but the cost of fares on the alternatives have also risen.I am disabled and if I was able to use buses or trains then I would still need the car to get to the station or bus stop which would defeat the plusses of using public transport. Isn’t it time the mobility component of PIP was increased in-line with the costs to prevent some disabled becoming prisoners in theier homes?
I would definitely say I travel less in my free time due the huge increase in fuel prices. We go on lots of walks though so that’s a bonus x