To ask if you have successfully become a one car family

We've always been a one-car family.

Everyone has a bike, we have numerous panniers so that smaller errands can be run by bike. In the very rare circumstances where more than one simultaneous car journey is needed and there's no public transport option, someone gets a taxi. That happens about 3 times a year so the cost is way lower than the cost of running a 2nd car.

It works for SIL & BIL who mostly WFH or catch the train, and don't seem to go far on weekends. It doesn't work for DH & I as we're in the office 5 days & are always going in different directions in the evening or weekends for DC or errands.

DH suggested that when we retire we go to one car. I laughed and said hell no. My parents dropped to one car & it's been hell. Mostly because DF goes out as he pleases DM sometimes misses out on her hobbies.

We have one car at the moment but it's impossible as I can't work for example today as dh needs to get to work. He and I have been juggling and doing things different but it's impossible. He is the main wage earner and today needs to be in the office. We've had to do a lot of juggling which tbh has been hell and we only been without the second car for a week. Picking up second car tomorrow. It literally depends on your job, location of where you live...

We did for a bit after DH changed jobs and had to hand back his co car. We lived rurally, about 25 miles from my work.

In reality it was very inconvenient, especially for me. DH basically assumed rights to my car and would trot out 100 reasons why he needed to drop me at work and take the car. He also had a needy mother who placed additional demands on his time/ use of a car.

Both our jobs required flexibility around timing, and I quickly resented the hell out of him commandeering the car I was paying for.

That was several years ago. We learned to each have our own car , and I am guarding mine carefully as he nears retirement.

We did and we managed to make it work. I was the sceptic.

We both have e-bikes and used if the car was being used (where we would have taken the 2nd car if we had it). Kids bike to their activities and we have managed to get lifts for them if car 1 was elsewhere.

we signed up to a car-sharing scheme for emergencies and only used it once in 18 months.

it was a bit of an eye-opener, actually. Unfortunately DS 1 is learning to drive so we needed to get a small 2nd car again.

You could try it for a year, see how much you spend on taxis when you would have used the car? As in don't stop doing stuff, just tot up the cost.

Bet it'll still be cheaper

We're a one car family. We both WFH most of the time and if DH's office is in London so he commutes by train. It's mildly inconvenient sometimes in terms of ferrying the children about, and they certainly walk more than most of their friends, but that's not necessarily a bad thing!

It totally depends on your lifestyle. How often do you need to be in two places at once, neither of which could have been accessed by public transport?

For us it's about once a year as neither of us drive to work - so we dropped the second car!

I'd love to get rid of a car! My 11 year old car is coming to end of its life and we're debating struggling on with it or getting a newer one. We work at opposite ends of the city, DH does 12 hour shifts starting at 7am and we have school age kids who go to breakfast club and afterschool twice a week. Wouldn't work for us atm.

We do it, sometimes it's really annoying and a cause of arguments. You just need to accept that spending on taxis is still cheaper than running a second car.

We did it about 4 months ago and it's fine. I have primary aged children and we can walk them to school, both work from home and when DH does go to office it's by train which he can walk to. It is a pain at times but we walk more and don't do as many little trips to the shop etc. I think when the kids are older we will need a second car again but it works for now.

We did and it is great. One saves money and hassle. It meant that we walked and cycled more which made us feel better. Actually, we use the car less and less.

It depends on your lifestyle and what's available locally - public transport or taxis.

It will work for many but for others will be anywhere from a moderate inconvenience to massively detrimental to employment opportunities, available time and leisure opportunities.

We have become a no car family but we live in London and the kids are grown.
Best thing we ever did

We tried and couldn't do it! Even if it was infrequent, the times we needed to be in different places (or more frequently wanted to be in different places!) made it too hard.

It all depends on your life style.

If you and DH have to be in two different places at the same time. Someone has to drop early etc. or if you're ferrying kids around.

Only you know if it will work or not, even if it's quite inconvenient.

We never have been able to afford another car. You just get on with it.