Just stop buying new SUVs...

[Fridakahlofan]

Unless you REALLY need one. I live 1/4 mile down a muddy track and I do not have one.

In the Times today:
SUVs 'were responsible for all of the growth in oil demand, of 3.3 million barrels a day, from passenger cars between 2010 and 2018, with total fuel consumption from other types of car falling slightly'

Surely soon it will be shameful to own one!

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/soaring-demand-for-suvs-exacerbates-climate-crisis-kbpj5mpzg

[tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz]

That's why social media is chock full of posts of people lounging in their cars, not lying on a beach i guess.
Oh, wait ...

Well I enjoy my car because I worked hard to pay for it but it's not a status symbol. Happy for you to disagree!

[Courtney555]

No. It's not a status symbol.

It's a necessity when you have DC ranging from pre-teen to newborn twins and you need to fit all of them, plus you and DH, plus a double buggy with lie flat bassinets, plus whatever bags the older ones are taking out with them, plus any shopping you've bought that day, and all other crap into one car without squashing everyone's faces up against the window.

(Here come the martyrs to insist 9 kids, 3 dogs and MIL all fit in a mini, yawn/predictable)

I like range rovers. Because I like them. We have one that's got to be sold because bloody darling twins mean we can't all fit. I will miss it. It's a great car. I love the gadgets, the comfort of driving it while heavily pregnant, the ride quality. And it's nothing to do with status.

The SUV we're replacing it with is the only thing that fits our logistics. Believe me, we've taken everything we like on a test drive to the buggy store to physically put all the car seats plus a double bassinet pram in, and the vehicles you think "well of course it's all going to fit" well, put simply they don't at all. We don't even want the damn thing we've got to get. We need it.

So, to repeat. Whilst a minority of people might need a variety of things to attempt a feeling of status, a watch, a handbag, a car, there are the rest of us who make purchases based on what works for our lives.

[ParisInTheSpringtime]

We have an almost new SUV, as when we did the calculations for our car usage the emissions and fuel economy were actually better than the closest hybrid option.

[JeezyPeeps]

I could not agree more, op*.

*this may be related to the fact that I came home yesterday to find a selfish twat with a 19 plate range rover parked in my parking space

[krustykittens]

The OP is right. I have an old Land Rover which is a shocking gas guzzler. But I have it because I live on a small holding and as well as being a family car, it also does the job of a small tractor, saving us money. But I am in a tiny minority. These cars are expensive to run because they are built for a specific purpose, so if they are not doing the job they are supposed to do, they are a waste of money. It is ridiculous that people in towns insist on having them. Or rural dwellers without land. If you want 4x4 functionality and a tough shell that will protect you in crash, there is a lot on the market that can do that for you. Having said that, it is good to see that SUVs are becoming more economical to run for people who really need the height and head space.

[Sipperskipper]

I drive an SUV - had an estate previously but struggled to fit in kid / dog stuff etc when going on long trips. Our other car which I try to use day to day is fully electric though.

When a decent fully electric SUV (with good range) is made & I can get secondhand then I will do that.

[myself2020]

My childminder recently had a giggle because she had to help some schoolmums to get their massive SUVs out of parking spaces. childminder drives a fairly ancient minibus, and had no problems with the SUVs.
The incident does though summarize the majority of SUV drivers: they have it as a status symbol, but can’t drive it.
the minority actually needs it, and they are very capable of driving it.

[ConFusion360]

The sooner cars are taxed on weight as well as pollution the better.

Except in the case of EV's, the two are already linked. Heavier cars use more energy to move, so are taxed more.

[BoogleMcGroogle]

I completely agree. The number of people in the UK who genuinely need an SUV/ 4x4 is tiny.

We bought one because we wanted one. We didn't need it. Even spending 3 weeks a year in the Alps, we barely use the 4x4 capabilities. However, for less than the price of a grubby 'premium' diesel 4x4, we picked up our lovely Outlander PHEV. We only use the petrol engine once a month or so, for longer journeys. Everything else is done on the electric charge ( and we are on a renewables tariff at home).

I'm really no eco-warrior, but there are easy alternatives if you put in a modicum of thought.

[krustykittens]

sipperskipper cost of buying a car is a real problem for anyone who wants to be green. I would love to have an electric car that does everything our car does but realistically it will be waaaaaay out of my price range. But then, I am a shit person who has kids and lots of pets! I think we should all do whatever we can to be environmentally friendly without taking the pressure off the large corporations that account for 70 per cent (?) of the world's pollution.

[ConFusion360]

The sooner cars are taxed on weight as well as pollution the better.

We should also tax energy guzzling gadgets like air conditioning, power steering. electric windows, locks, seats etc.

[compulsiveliar2019]

How do you know whether people need them or not op. Just because at the point you see them there not essential doesn't mean that there not needed. Do you know the full circumstances of every suv you see? Why do you think it's ok for you to judge them?

[JacksonPillock]

If people hadn't popped along to "justify themselves " this thread would literally be pointless. Unless those of you fascinated by the lives of others actually just wanted an echo chamber.

Maybe so yeah. It is a pointless thread, since people do not like being told to change their ways.

OP: research shows SUVs are bad for the environment, perhaps people who don't actually need them should stop buying them?

Sounds reasonable, but the only responses will be people declaring they really do need theirs (irrelevant to conversation if true, not gonna change their ways if false) or people telling you to fuck off it's a free market don't tell me what to do, etc. because people naturally get defensive when you point out that they may be complicit in something negative.

I can't imagine many of the people the OP is actually aimed at (SUV owners who don't actually need their SUVs) will actually stop and think, "hmmm, OP's right, I should change".

[JacksonPillock]

How do you know whether people need them or not op. Just because at the point you see them there not essential doesn't mean that there not needed

Well, we don't really need to know who needs them or not. We can be fairly certain, based solely on how many people own them, that a large number of SUV owners do not actually need an SUV. It's perfectly logical to make that assumption while at the same time accepting that some of them DO actually need them.

[Vulpine]

So you dont live in a town? So you're missing the point

[shearwater]

One of these threads again.

When used electric family sized cars are available for £250 a month on a PCP deal, and there are enough, and reliable charging points up and down the country then people will buy them.

Until then people will buy reliable used 2L VW diesels that do 50 miles plus to the gallon when they have five people and a large dog to get in a car.

[MissRabbitNeedsAHoliday]

I love my SUV, I feel safer in it than a smaller car, and I can guarantee if I didnt have it when someone recently drove in to the back of me at 70 mph I probably would have been a lot worse off. For that reason the next car I will buy will also be an SUV.
And re the parking thing it fits fine in to a normal space, the estate I used to drive was much harder to fit in a normal space!
It also helps in the snow as I live rurally, but I work hard and like to enjoy my money on a nice car!

[Harrysmummy246]

my SUV isn't a 4x4. I don't need it to be. It does have all the features I wanted/ needed at the time and is low emissions thanks. Oh and by the way, there are several Hybrid SUVs on the market. Are they receiving your venting too?

But it does fit in a car park space just fine thanks (well when I'm not being a bit of a pants driver)

And i use it to take bag upon bag upon bag of garden waste to the tip every week. So it's not pristine.

[Greatnorthwoods]

@bestbefore I have the ford equivalent of a Tahoe. If there was anything just as capable but more efficient it would be a option. However as far as I know there isn’t.

[AJPTaylor]

I live in a ruralish part of East Sussex. My fav behaviour is when I meet a 4wd on a narrow road. Given that I drive a 10 year old vw beetle with no off roaring ability I love that they expect me to get off the road.

[messolini9]

If you live in the countryside you can grow your own food so you don't really need one either.

ha ha ha ha ha

Have you been watching "The Good Life", @JacksonPillock?
Or do you think that everyone who lives rurally has enough land & knowledge to grow cereals, pulses, as well as fruit & veg, & can manage animals to produce cheese & meat products?

Will these mythical coutryside dwellers also get their children to school & themselves to work by growing food? Or maybe you feel they don't need an education, or an income, or a visit to the doctor or cinema or a social life if they are growing their own food?

[X0X0]

the thread is Just stop buying new SUVs... Unless you REALLY need one. (so if you need one, for farming or access or all the other shit you can think of, then this is not saying you shouldn't have one)

the thread is not SUVs should be banned for all it means the "yummy mummy/daddy" in a "Chelsea tractor" type

[X0X0]

the thread is Just stop buying new SUVs... Unless you REALLY need one. (so if you need one, for farming or access or all the other shit you can think of, then this is not saying you shouldn't have one)

the thread is not SUVs should be banned for all it means the "yummy mummy/daddy" in a "Chelsea tractor" type

[AlexaAmbidextra]

If you live in the countryside you can grow your own food so you don't really need one either.

JacksonPillock. Apt user name btw. Do you really think that people only ever go out to buy food?

[Leighhalfpennysthigh]

as people don't like to be told anything anymore. ”

That’s right. My life is busy and challenging enough. Anyone who doesn’t like my lifestyle or choices can feck off.


That's my view too as a Renault Kadjar driver with gasp no children to even carry around. Though I do have work stuff and transport three dogs, but that's not an excuse, nor is that it's easier to get in and out of now I'm nearer to 50 than 40.....or that I drive 25K miles a year just for work and probably another 20K personal use on top.

I saw it. I test drove it. I liked it so got a loan to pay for it.