To ask if you have successfully become a one car family

We’re a one car family and have been for about 5 years. There’s occasional days when we have appointments in opposite directions at the same time but the majority of the time we manage perfectly fine with the car and the bus when needed

We are fine with it, we both work and have 2 under 2. It helps we live in a city with 4 stations within walking distance and an ok bus service. Plus none of mind walking. Having 2 cars is just too expensive for us

Sister and BIL have two cars but my niece is using one for work. It’s not going well…

We've never had more than 1 car.

City centre, both WFH, wal everywhere, car pool wit other parents for 3 DCs' activities. Simples!

We live semi rurally but have 2 cities within a 45 min bus journey. We have one car but I'm only having to travel to the office once a week and H twice. It does take coordination and compromise but we are literally saving hundreds of pounds a month not running two cars. Teen gets the bus to college and school is easy walking distance. I walk to exercise classes, shops etc.

It's worth it for us. Will probably get another car when teen learns to drive mostly for him to use.

If we lived right in a city like London we wouldn't have a car at all as the public transport is so good.

I have 5 children and we manage with just 1 car. Husband has a motorbike right enough but doesn’t that that daily. School, nursery etc is all
walkingd distance.

@SallyWD I agree that people have budget constraints but in most parts of London for example the houses closer to the particular high street will be smaller and as you go a bit further away the houses get bigger, people have drives, bigger gardens. Often the houses are the same price or cheaper. Some just prioritise amenities and some want space. My friend and I moved at the same time and we had the same budget. She was desperate for a detached & Im in a terrace. Even though we live in the same area we have quite different set ups because I'm a 7min walk from stuff and she is a 30 min walk (uphill). Her family needs 2 cars and she spends a lot of her time as a taxi for her dc. I grew up minutes from amenities so I know the benefit of them particularly for when my dc get older & couldn't imagine living any other way.

DH and I successfully had one car when we both lived and worked in a town with good public transport. I think the key to success is that you can both independently achieve the majority of your weekly journeys without a car.

We managed to continue with one car even whilst our DC were babies until we relocated to a rural area.

Where we live now, with the jobs we do and the activities our DC do one car would be prohibitively expensive compared to two cars.

I have been testing this theory this past week and a half as one car has a fault and the dealership were not able to offer a courtesy car at short notice. I have just totted up what I've spent on taxis and I definitely should have just hired a car. Even with calling in every favour from friends we have spent over £340! However, I think when the DC have left home one car might be possible with careful planning and the odd taxi. We do have some limited public transport but of course it never goes where you want on the day you need it to go!

We did, and to be honest we could have managed without two a long time ago, but I inherited my dad's car. Our daughter now has that car, and as we are both retired it's hardly ever been a problem to manage with one. I have occasionally got a taxi, and the hospital is on a bus route from our house, so it's actually easier to take the bus rather than park up there.

We have more than one car but very rarely use two at the same time so, in theory, it would work for us.

In practice it might not because the most versatile car is a largish 4x4 SUV and it would make most sense to keep that. That would mean using it for every journey wherever we are going which wouldn’t please the SUV haters.

This is exactly what we did. We chose our house specifically to be in walking distance to work, school shops etc. However, both you and I could afford to buy a more expensive home. I think many people can't afford to live in areas closer to their commitments so they end up buying cheaper housing far away and are therefore dependent on their cars. I wish public transport was better.

or are lucky enough to have everything close together so they don't have to do a multistage journey of work via school and childcare drop off and the same on the way home, which would be impossible on public transport

But it isn't always luck. I could have bought a cheaper house that was much bigger than my current home but I prioritised living close to school, transport and high street.

Yes we have only one car, for a while I was working on agency not all the year (to fit in with school) so didnt want to tie myself financially to the cost of a car

I now have a permanent job on 30 hours which ties in beautifully with the local bus. OH also works a 4 on 4 off shift so I have use of the cars then...works for us

Never had two cars, but we have never needed a second one.

It so heavily depends on the intricacies of your life - not just rural/city status. You should decide based on your exact requirements and not any judgement from anyone else or how you think anyone will perceive you.

Re food shopping...
I have a delivery pass that is unlimited deliveries for £8 a month. We generally get two a week.

Great example @HotCrossBunplease of how 'car people' who own more than one car, are just desperate to point out how inconvenient it must be for you to "only have one".

It's just embarrassing...

If you choose to financially burden yourself with two or more cars? Good for you!

But why people seem to feel the need to then analyse other folk's transport choices with some sort of strange pity... for goodness sake, we all get about however we choose to, it's ok!

or are lucky enough to have everything close together so they don't have to do a multistage journey of work via school and childcare drop off and the same on the way home, which would be impossible on public transport

Not everyone is "lucky'. Some of us make life choices which allow this to happen without a car.

can afford the extra cost of having their grocery shopping delivered rather than dropping into Aldi on the way home etc etc.

This really boils my piss sometimes, when I read this.

I actually happen to own a car, because I'm "lucky" i guess to be able to own one and live in an area with great public transport.

But I also get online shopping delivered, which costs me £2 or £3 every time.

Have you ever calculated the cost of "dropping into Aldi on the way home" in terms of

• Cost of fuel for that trip (I'd wager it's £1 at least?)
• Cost of insurance, depreciation etc of the car over that time period

I would wager it is about the same, or more, than the £2 I pay for my online shopping to be delivered.

My point is - people don't properly cost the usage of cars @Bjorkdidit . They just shoulder the whole cost, and then tell everyone how much they need it all the time, and how privileged we others are that we can pick and choose not to have it.

HMRC recommend 45p a mile etc for business travel if you're using your own vehicle.

Your "popping to ALDI" might cost you a minimum of £1.50. My online shopping is £2.

Are we really talking about different things here?

Lots of people in london have no car

@Havingaswimmoose I don't agree. We have plenty of public transport nearby but my neighbours and work colleagues still choose to use their cars when they have other options available to them. It's too simplistic to blame it on the lack of public transport. The culture remains that everyone "needs" a car. Once you've got one it's maybe hard to justify not using it.

We have only ever had one car but we are Londoners.

We live on the outskirts of a city and manage fine without a car (have done since our first baby). We do work standard office hours, so I think that makes a huge difference. You need to plan more but it's perfectly doable. We have bus, train, walk.

Urban. No car. European city with incredible transportation. I have had one lift from a friend and one taxi ride in the last 12 months.

This. Occasionally it meant one of us had to stay home or we had to decide which would use the car. Mostly we could walk cycle or use public transport.