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Original poster

Who should pay for 17 year old's petrol?

76 replies

ostical · 21/09/2018 20:04

The 17 year old or parents? It's to get to college. It's costing £30 a week. The college is around 18 miles away, had no choice for the course.

Curious who should pay?

OP posts:
adaline · 21/09/2018 21:04

It entirely depends on the circumstances.

Who pays insurance, tax, MOT? Does the 17yo have a job?

PlatypusPie · 21/09/2018 21:06

17 and travel to mandatory education ? Parents. If they have a weekend job, that could pay for social life driving .

notacooldad · 21/09/2018 21:13

Our Ds is nearly 19and we are in a similar position. Ds college is 19 miles away and in the middle of the countryside so no regular buses or trains.
We pay. In fact we paid for his car, lessons, insurancepetrol and everything else. He gets bits of work but is saving up for next year's car insurance ( just over 2k)

ZanyMobster · 21/09/2018 21:17

Parents as it's for college

Travis1 · 21/09/2018 21:18

The 17 year old, travel expenses are normally incorporated into the bursary. I would never have dreamed of asking my parents to cover anything once I had my car. In fact they didn’t after I turned 16 and started getting bursaries and part time jobs.

Outlookmainlyfair · 21/09/2018 21:20

Parents

celtiethree · 21/09/2018 21:27

I’ve not long insured a car for a 17 year old £1400 for the year. £26 a week, adding in £30 means 14 hours a week a minimum wage to cover transport, not counting other car maintenance costs. (Have added in ins here for all those who who said they paid themselves). So nearly two full days employment, with no other spending money, on top of what should be full time education.

If the DC was at uni then they would have access to loans and parents contribution.

Parents should pay transport to college.

LargeGlassOfPepsi · 21/09/2018 22:23

I’ve not long insured a car for a 17 year old £1400 for the year

That's a very good price for a 17 year old. We were £1900 - £2500 for a year for each of ours.

Notmethistimehonest · 21/09/2018 22:37

The parents should pay for the petrol to and from sixth form but the teen should pay for any extra travel.

theSnuffster · 21/09/2018 22:37

I'm a little shocked that everyone is saying the parents should pay- Although do see where you're coming from.

Once I learned to drive I paid all my own costs. (I think my grandparents loaned me the money for the car and I paid them back monthly.) I never expected my Mum to pay for any of it! I had a weekend job, but if I didn't have the job it wouldn't have been down to my Mum to pay instead, I just wouldn't have been able to run a car!

ZigZagIntoTheBlue · 21/09/2018 22:38

I paid my own petrol at that age but if my parents felt like giving me a tenner towards it I would've taken it.

They did pay my insurance that first year or two though!

Notmethistimehonest · 21/09/2018 22:48

theSnuffster I think the point that many posters are making is that the parents should pay for the child to get to/from school whether that be by bus/ train or car. Does that really surprise you?

I certainly don’t think I will pay for my 17yo’s leisure petrol but to and from school is different.

HollowTalk · 21/09/2018 22:50

I think parents should pay for their children to get to school or college, whichever way is cheapest. At that distance, £30 sounds reasonable.

Josiebloggs · 21/09/2018 22:52

If they can afford it the parents.

If the parents bought, taxed and insured the car and the 17 year old has a job they should pay or contribute.

LargeGlassOfPepsi · 21/09/2018 22:53

Once I learned to drive I paid all my own costs. (I think my grandparents loaned me the money for the car and I paid them back monthly.) I never expected my Mum to pay for any of it! I had a weekend job, but if I didn't have the job it wouldn't have been down to my Mum to pay instead, I just wouldn't have been able to run a car!

The way I look at it is if your parents live rurally and chose to do so then they should pay for a car and the expenses that go with it.

nokidshere · 21/09/2018 23:02

I share the cost of fuel with DS because I ask him to do things for me whilst he's out and about such as bits of shopping, giving lifts to his brother, sometimes he does the school run for me. I also top him up,when he's skint and pay the insurance

KeiTeNgeNge · 21/09/2018 23:10

You should pay for the petrol to get here and back - you could calculate cost of petrol and distance and top up car with this amount. Petrol for fun stuff then has to be paid for by them.

hammeringinmyhead · 21/09/2018 23:16

If you're older than late 20s-early 30s then education wasn't mandatory after 16. I think given the OP has said that there was no other college option for the course and the OP's kid has to be doing either education, apprenticeship or 20 hours work and education for another year the parents should pay.

The minimum wage for 17 is £4.20 an hour so a full Saturday in a shop would only just about cover petrol.

safariboot · 21/09/2018 23:33

If the child can't pay, the parents would be very unreasonable not to. It's compulsory education now.

Ariela · 21/09/2018 23:50

I think it's a matter you have to decide for yourselves according to what you can afford.
FWIW my daughter got a car at 17 and paid for it from her savings with some grandparental and parental contributions. She uses her earnings to pay for the fuel, insurance etc.
We live rurally and she needs the car to access her sport as well as get to school/work/Uni. (She could walk 2-3 miles to get a train or similar in 2 different directions to get a bus but they wouldn't help her access her sport/school/Uni/work without wasting a couple of hours or more a day. She earns plenty in the holidays, and suppliments this with extra work she picks up, so funding her car by herself is not an issue.

MsJolly · 21/09/2018 23:51

Parents

Uncreative · 22/09/2018 00:33

Student should pay. Or at the least make the effort to pay some. But I would be willing to top it up occasionally.

PersianCatLady · 22/09/2018 00:36

What happened to the OP?

Shadow1234 · 22/09/2018 01:22

Parents. Or as other poster said, use Child Allowance. If the
child wasnt in further education, you wouldnt be receiving this
money anyway.

Monday55 · 22/09/2018 01:25

Parents should pay if it's for college.

A 17yr old is still a dependent and parents can carry on claiming child benefits if their child is in suitable education.

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