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

they're always the ones who can't reverse into passing places.

Yep, can do that. Generalising much? You’ll be on about women drivers next. Can also drive up verges and into fields without getting stuck to get out of the way of other people that think 4x4’s should be able to fly. Got through the flood waters today. Can tow out smaller cars that couldn’t cope with the water. You should see the state of my battered old Freelander, it gets chucked about all over the place. But it bloody well does the job. And I can do the 25 mile round trip for the school run without having to worry about getting stuck anywhere. I trust it implicitly. And my ability to drive it.

It’s also a foot shorter than my old VW estate so it’s much easier to park.

I couldnt agree more @op..lived in many places around Australia &they're seen as an (ostentacious boast)essential family item..almost everybody i've ever met has Lexus,Porche,Toyota,Bmw or Subaru SUV..these are city&town people who turn into 'weekend warriors'a couple of times a year&preach about locally grown,sustainably sourced food-the contradiction escapes them😨..im the butt of many jokesProudly driving a 10year old sedan..

Easy answer - just ramp up road fund licence on them - £750 p.a. would probably do the job.

£450 anyway- so £300 extra wouldn't make any difference

Yes, vegans do help the environment - as do vegetarians (but with dairy - not so much) but I can't agree with this statement: "Educate yourself, unless you're eating homegrown veggies/UK farmed and not industrially farmed soy, air freighted non seasonal and non-UK products, you're not helping the environment in any way." - that's not accurate. Specifically "you're not helping the environment in anyway"

Cutting down on meat and dairy consumption (or better still, cutting it out) is one strand of a multi strand problem. It is no better than, for instance, giving up flying.

Love my 4x4. Unapologetically. Have a big family and need a car which fits all the car seats. Also we don’t use it on the school run because we walk to school. I think some of the people doing the most judging are just a bit jealous!

I think Wink sums up what the OP thinks most 4x4 drivers are like...

Have a hybrid 4x4 for several reasons. Elevated position for a clear view.
Getting up a very steep hill every time we need to go anywhere , often not gritted.
Need to be able to visit vulnerable relatives in three different parts of the country at very short notice in whatever weather.
Ease of getting into the vehicle ( me)
Ease of getting elderly relative into the car.
Large dog with another to come.
Just bloody preferable.
Sorry.
1.0 litre 2door hatchback just doesn’t work for us .

Ps... just heard on the radio that the fossil fuels needed to manufacture an electric car battery might actually be more than what is needed to run a petrol vehicle.

I think people buying them is making other people buy them. Not out of statua.

But because of the elevated seated position. My car is a work car. New A class, so many times when I am driving I feel closed in by all the huge vehicles (dont mean lorries) I mean Ford rangers, Q5 etc

Its makes me feel quite vulnerable.

I didnt get to pick this car i
I inherited it from my predecessor. Who went hand picked the car diesel/Adblue the nmoaned about how much Tax is was then left 6 weeks later.

When I pick the next one it will definitely hybrid. I would pick electric, if they can drive for 4 plus hour by then. I would pick a 4x4 hybrid, give the choice.

I drive a hatchback, many 4x4s get far better fuel economy.

Ms adorable - 25 mile round school trip seems alot. I couldnt cope with that every morning.

I have a 10 year old one - we live a mile up an unmade pot holed track , it’s impossible to get out other wise when it snows . I work in a hospital so I am expected to go in even in heavy snow our local small roads are not gritted either . Some people genuinely need to have four wheel drive suvs

What I don’t understand are all those who say they need an SUV to get up the hill in winter. In a lot of countries you have to have winter tyres after a certain date. I’ve been up an icy road in a Polo before because we had winter tyres. They give much more grip from temperatures below I think 7 degrees. There is usually no need for a 4x4 unless you are planning on going on fresh snow. Even then you can use snow chains.

On a side note though. I think car seat manufacturers need to look at streamlining their designs as with 2 kids you often can’t use their middle seat any longer. At least not for someone with an averagely sized posterior.

I'd agree that a car with winter tyres is probably more capable than a 4x4 without on snow. A 4x4 on winter rated tyres is more capable still. That is what I have. I made do with an Ibiza for years buts poor ground clearance, low towing capacity and tendency to get stuck in fields became a problem. I ripped the bottom cover off from under the engine, damaged the exhaust and once just had to leave it stuck in a field overnight.

I currently use a rollator to help get around (for those who don't know it's a walking frame with 4 wheels and a seat). If I need to get the bus, it's pot luck if they'll stop close enough to the kerb for me to easily get on or off (yesterday stopped so far from the kerb they may as well have stopped in the middle of the road). I currently can't drive my current car as due to losing the use of my left leg in the summer with no idea why at the moment, my foot slips when I use the clutch, meaning it's not safe to drive a manual car. My current car is the only one where I can easily get in and out as it's high enough that, being small, I don't need to stand.
I've been looking for a new car that's an automatic as it makes getting out and about easier than using the bus. The problem is, there isn't a single new car currently on the market that is high enough for getting in and out easily without buying a SUV. I don't really want to buy second hand as the fuel efficiency of newer cars is much better than older ones. I really don't want a SUV, they have more space than I really need, but a regular car just doesn't have the height. Not even the ones people say should be high enough. I've been to dealerships and been told "Oh, the Jazz/B- class/whatever is suitable." I then get in, adjust the seating and struggle to get out as it isn't high enough. So, my next car is looking like being an SUV.
Not everyone who has an SUV actually started out wanting one.

Easy answer - just ramp up road fund licence on them - £750 p.a. would probably do the job. Then those who REALLY need one will have to pay, and all the others would be incentivised to buy smaller cars with a much lower road fund licence cost

My three year old Kadjar - £0 rft due to low emissions and suitable for the ULEZ.

My dad's elderly Megane - £120 rft

Now tell me which car is better for the environment?

Climate change is a leveller. Money isn’t going to protect you. You can keep driving your Chelsea tractors and put your kids through private school. You can walk about with your Mulberry bags and take your three overseas holidays a year. Blinkers on. But it’s still going to kick your arse and if not your arse then you’re kids arse. We are all just scurrying ants on a dying planet and we’ve had our day.

Sadly this just isn't the case at all. The poorest people will be affected much more than people who can afford the trash-the-planet lifestyle. Being able to afford air conditioning when the climate becomes much too hot, and to afford much more expensive food, will put them at an advantage. Oh and the ability to take long holidays to whatever part of the world is not to hot or cold, adding CO2 to the environment in the process. We need to address this problem now, not hope that rich people will eventually suffer.

The planet isn’t dying. And yes, money does shelter the rich from most disasters including natural and unnatural ones.

Easy answer - just ramp up road fund licence on them

Road fund licence hasn't existed since 1936.

@Leighhalfpennysthigh

Your Kadjar is £0 to tax because of an old standard by which the Government used to measure environmental impact - namely Co2 emissions.

There are thousands of diesel cars on the roads that are £30 or less to tax, and everyone thinks they are environmentally friendly as a result.

Honestly? I think it's a nonsense, because of the particulates argument that has now become even more pressing.

Don't get me wrong - Co2 impact is important, but I don't want my kids breathing in nasty diesel particulates just because the Government made it cheap to tax such cars, and people want fake 4x4s.

So no, actually your dad's elderly Megane (if it's a >EUR3 petrol) sounds much more up my street

I don't have one and never would, but they have a lot of boot space. I carry around musical instruments, dogs, riding saddles... I need a workhorse of a car with a big boot. As our current car reaches the end of its live I do worry about what to replace it with. There isn't an obvious electric candidate in a moderate price range. We have just spent a fortune on our engine, so I am hoping that gives it another year, maybe 2 if we are lucky.

Passengers in an SUV are 11% more likely to die in a collision than passengers in ordinary cars, mainly because they're more likely to roll. They're also more fatal to pedestrians. I'd never buy one.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/oct/07/a-deadly-problem-should-we-ban-suvs-from-our-cities?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

I can see why people like driving suvs in the country; elevated driving position, safety, space for dogs , ungritted roads etc I would be tempted . I cannot see how the majority are justifiable in a town or suburban setting , particularly if they are not hybrids. They generate pollution,and take up too much space . I have a middle sized car that I am hoping to keep going until ev batteries are more user friendly. I think the ule zones are a good idea and we shouldn't facilitate the larger vehicles which are undeniably antisocial.

I agree, antisocial is the word for these vehicles!

Vulpine I only have to do it once a day, I car share with another mum. We live about two miles out of catchment but ironically it’s the same distance as our catchment school. It’s a better school and dd wanted to go so fair enough. She used to get the bus at £1k a year. It doesn’t cost me that in fuel. She was glad to get off that bus, the bloody kids on it were feral.