Is it stupid to have a car in London?

[OReli]

I’m aware that most people with no kids in London don’t bother driving especially if they are in a central part. However, my partner and I live in zone 3 so are thinking about getting a car now for ease, we’ve never had one so are unaware of the costs. We like going on country walks, beaches etc (prepandemic) and although we manage with trains (even with our dog sometimes) it can be a pain to only rely on public transport all the time. For example we really regretted not having one a few months ago when our dog needed emergency vet care in the middle of the night, we ended up having to get an Uber which was fine but not very secure as they could have turned us away! To be honest we probably only need a car for weekends to go on drives outside London etc., my partner currently gets a bus to work which is quite long but it’s also cost effective so he puts up with it. I walk to work but will be looking for a new job in the coming months where I may need to commute to the outskirts of London so yeah a car would be handy if that happens. Just wondering if anyone else has advice on whether it is worth the cost of buying and up keeping a car in London?

Thanks @Yapplepearora, thanks great to know. With that insurance, can you buy the policy like a day or two beforehand?

We used a car club for years on borders of zone 2/3. Only bought a car when we had to leave london every weekend due to terminally ill relative.
There was a car located every few streets and different size options, even a van that you could book under the same membership. You could book instantly if available, turn up and swipe and off you go. It was really handy and they have dedicated parking which is the best thing ever when you get back.
Check out the new ULEZ charges coming in the autumn. The old car might become very expensive.

Definitely look at a car club

We used one for 15+ years in london - economic, efficient and environmentally more sustainable. (Only bought a car in lockdown 1 as needed to take kids to nursery and didn’t feel comfortable on the bus. Absolutely a horrible financial decision but it was necessary at the time.)

We live in zone 2, 2 DC and have always used Zipcar when we needed, or train as we have a family railcard, at times Uber

As the kids get older (and we are getting older / lazier ) we are pondering getting a car although would most likely be electric as on street parking permit is cheaper, etc

If you have DC you need a car, else where do you put car seats?

I never had a car pre DC although it impacted me negatively not driving regularly til I was 31

(Because I wasn't confident so found it stressful being a new driver with kids)

If you have parking and the offer of a car you would be mad not to take it, even if you just have it until you move. However, permitted on street parking (always had this at different homes across London) is absolutely fine and relatively inexpensive.

I think which Borough you're in makes a difference. Lambeth is pretty much all parking permits. Southwark is going along that line too. Before we had DD we used zip cars and probably still would if we didn't need a car seat.

@JanewaysBun

If you have DC you need a car, else where do you put car seats?

I never had a car pre DC although it impacted me negatively not driving regularly til I was 31

If you don’t have a car, you don’t need car seats!

@JanewaysBun

If you have DC you need a car, else where do you put car seats?

I never had a car pre DC although it impacted me negatively not driving regularly til I was 31

If you don’t have a car you don’t need car seats.

I’m in Zone 3 (Newham), have a cheap little car, and really value it. It’s not cost efficient, but once you commit to a car then every use feels like getting more value for money. In that way, it’s a good motivator to do all those trips to the seaside etc. - whereas a £50 Uber or car hire bill is enough to put you off.

The tide is definitely turning against cars in London - just read about the proposals to extend the congestion charge to the north and south circular roads - so I don’t think I’ll have it in a few years time. But for now it’s great, especially as car clubs haven’t yet reached my neighbourhood.

Catalytic converter theft is a huge problem right now. Suggest doing some research and buying a car that isn’t a prime target.

@MyAnacondaMight that's interesting, I'm in SE London and catalytic converter theft is also really huge around here. I wonder what that's all about.

I really wish people wouldn't say things like you need a car once you have kids. This is just not true in London (again, barring disabilities or similar). I mean, what do you think those of us without cars are doing? Do you think we don't manage to feed our kids or do fun things or get to work?

[quote Yapplepearora]I’m pretty sure you can get short-term car insurance now can’t you? From an hour to about a month. Just insure it for when you plan a day out or U.K. holiday etc. It’s worth a look into that since your getting the car as a gift. Better than paying monthly for it to be sitting there.

www.money.co.uk/car-insurance/one-month-car-insurance.html[/quote]
Does it not legally need insurance if it’s sitting on the road?

I think OP said she had access to parking at the moment but may not in future. It is unusual in central London. Most people are on residents parking.

Even if she does have parking even in an underground car park for residents if it’s an old car and the handbrake fails and it rolls into a Ferrari..

[quote dreamingbohemian]@MyAnacondaMight that's interesting, I'm in SE London and catalytic converter theft is also really huge around here. I wonder what that's all about.

I really wish people wouldn't say things like you need a car once you have kids. This is just not true in London (again, barring disabilities or similar). I mean, what do you think those of us without cars are doing? Do you think we don't manage to feed our kids or do fun things or get to work?[/quote]
It’s the expensive materials in catalytic converters. Eg rhodium and platinum

Interesting, thanks! It seems to be a massive problem around here, wondering if it's all over London too.

A car is a useful luxury in London. Public transport is excellent, taxis and ubers easily available, cycle provision, food delivery tv all very available. Hiring a car for occasional trips or load carrying would be much cheaper than owning a car.

Just to answer the point above, we just kept seatbelt car seats in our house (actually our shed) and put them in if we were driving somewhere (wouldn’t bother if hopping in a cab etc but for a zip car journey we’d just install them). Easy as pie.

In normal times you definitely don’t need a car in london, even with kids.

We lived in central London (near Baker Street) and had a car. It was useful to go to the larger supermarket a couple of miles away and B&Q down the A40 and also the residents' parking zone allowed us to park over quite a large area in Westminster. I should add that I use public transport as much as possible.

However, definitely a good idea to get an inexpensive car as our car was hit and damaged on a regular basis (without anyone ever owning up). We once came back from holiday, having parked the car on a street with cars directly in front of and behind us, to discover someone had reversed into our car with such force that the bonnet had folded up in the middle and was partly blocking the windscreen.

The other irritation was bays being suspended at short notice/while you're away and the constant parking tickets. Maybe the car hire idea sounds good!

We have a car in London, and have used it three times in the last year - one of these trips being to the MOT garage and another to check the battery. Anytime we consider driving somewhere the trade-off between public transport/walking/taking the car always swings against driving. Might be different if we had a lot of family to drive to outside London, but we don’t, so barely use our car. I would definitely do car club first and see if you would get much use out of it.

If you have DC you need a car, else where do you put car seats?
Talk about putting the cart before the horse!

We have a car. Zone 2-3. Parking is permit based but OK here, and we use it for school, going to parks and shopping, plus trips out of London to family, holidays etc. I wouldn't want to be without it. BUT we live 20 mins (adult) walk from train and tube so public transport isn't excellent here. Also the school isn't the closest, there isn't really a public transport option, and cycling isn't safe for the children (the south circular).
A car can be really useful (depending on your circumstances).

I didn't have a car pre-children, the things I really don't miss:

• trying to hire a car, of course when everyone else is (Christmas etc).
• getting to car hire places for pick up and drop off. Our local one was office hours only.
• Getting on a train at Christmas with luggage, presents etc to find standing only and our reserved seats weren't reserved because the machine broke.
• Trying to get out to the countryside early on a weekend by train (Not possible!).
• Being paranoid about hire car damage excess.

If you do get a car go for electric or hybrid if you can. Petrol if you can't. Don't buy a diesel (emissions and the diesel DPFs don't like stop start traffic).
Get the shortest / narrowest you can for what you need to help parking. E.g. a VW Touran rather than a Ford Mondeo estate.
Get parking sensors (I didn't and regret it often)
Have a car that isn't attractive to thieves of the car or the car's parts.
Don't be precious about paintwork, it will get dinged, scratched dented or foxes will jump on it!
Have an expectation that you will get a fine for something. There are so many rules about congestion charge, emissions zone, bus lanes, box junctions, parking, turns banned and now local oddities such as LTNs and school streets. Even reasonably good drivers can get it wrong. My recent fail was a bus lane where on a road the first section wasn't in operation on a Sunday, but the second section on the same street was and I didn't read the sign.
Be zen when driving. London is hard to drive in, and getting worse.

It would be a very expensive cupboard! Our car seats live in the shed.

We're in zone 3/4 borders, 2 primary aged kids, near great transport and don't have a car. Pre covid one or other of us worked in Central London every day and I worked out we'd use on about once every 2 weeks if that. We use a car club when needed, uber, and sometimes I rent one in half term and also get jobs like the tip run done (although you can get a load of junk picked up very cheaply). DP also can't drive so car administration would be all down to me. We arrange our life so we don't need one, get stuff delivered and use public transport. The main reason though is the environment, not the finances.

None of my extended family have a car in London. It's completely poisonous for the air quality, once you have one you use it more and more - the communities that suffer most from this are the ones least likely to be able to afford a car.

How often do you actually go to IKEA or do a midnight hospital run? Our IKEA delivers what you've just bought the same afternoon for 16 quid and I get to read a book on the way home and someone else unloads it. Winner.

Car clubs are great, no responsibility. Perfect.

- getting to car hire places for pick up and drop off. Our local one was office hours only.

This aspect is pretty much redundant these days. There are car club vehicles parked within a few streets in most London areas and now P2P vehicle sharing options too. You just book on phone, rock up to vehicle and unlock with phone.

We didn't get a car until I got a job that I had to drive out of London to rural Bucks for - we did car club in both Cambridge and London z2.

Can you use car club cars for a week though? I thought they were short term.

zone 3 100% you should get a car. Totally different to being in zone 1. To be honest I would have in zone 2 too.