Is car ownership dying out among the younger generations?

[Slick]

I probably do half that mileage. I rarely drive on a whim these days. I cycle and walk as far I drive probably. My car is nearly 12 years old and has done less than 40k miles

I'm much the same, but trying to explain all that to our insurers is getting ever more complicated.

We don't do much, but we still want it for SDP & commuting as Mrs Slick drives to work. I dislike driving and only really do it for work meetings and I also need business use, but its minimal.

It all adds up to a very complicated call to explain your use as they are obviously convinced I'm at it.

 

[vickster]

I'm much the same, but trying to explain all that to our insurers is getting ever more complicated.

We don't do much, but we still want it for SDP & commuting as Mrs Slick drives to work. I dislike driving and only really do it for work meetings and I also need business use, but its minimal.

It all adds up to a very complicated call to explain your use as they are obviously convinced I'm at it.

I’ve never been questioned. I have SDP, Commuting and business too (in case have to go to a client meeting or similar.) Think it’s at 4k+1k business. I no longer drive to work, mostly wfh, London 1-2 days a week, mix bike/public transport

 

[Time Waster]

My 6.5k was back when I worked at my old job and drove in once per week, half hour drive each way. Now I'm 6 months into new job, mostly wfh, never use car for work except once when train line had a line collapse that put trains out of action for over 2 months. I didn't want to use replacement buses for 2 hour journey each way. I just didn't go in except for one day with a meeting too early for first replacement bus so I used car.

I reckon it'll end up 4k per year as well. It's amazing how much wfh can save even if only missing out the odd car day before.

 

[Slick]

I’ve never been questioned. I have SDP, Commuting and business too (in case have to go to a client meeting or similar.) Think it’s at 4k+1k business. I no longer drive to work, mostly wfh, London 1-2 days a week, mix bike/public transport

Mine is similar, but I couldn't add business and commuting, it was an either or thing. I called them and now I have it, but it was quite the palaver.

 

[Emanresu]

That’s called freedom of choice

The old joke about choice ... "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."

 

[tyred]

Considering there is very little public transport here, you'd live a very limited life without one.

I bought my Yaris from a girl who had it as a first car and had used it to drive to college. I noted that she was only covering about 3,500 miles per annum from looking at the old test certificates. Considering how much an 18 year old pays for insurance, I couldn't help thinking it offered a very poor return for her money. In reality, she probably had no other choice unless she could find someone who could give her a lift as although she lives in a decent sized town, there is no public transport option for her to get to college and it's a very fast and busy road, not somewhere I'd like to cycle. Alternative quiet roads would be much slower and hillier. I can perfectly understand why a young person wouldn't want a car if they had other options.

I bought a flat within easy walking distance from town (although most of my neighbours still drive to the shop) and rarely ever use my car on weekdays but I still like to have it and do clock up reasonable mileage. I'm happy to drive long distances if there is something I want to do and I will drive somewhere on whim sometimes. I'm fortunate to live somewhere that isn't too crowded so out of town, I can have quiet roads. I've always liked cars, their engineering and their history, but unlike most car enthusiasts, my interest has always been the cheap and cheerful but interesting cars like Citreon 2CVs.

 

[johnblack]

Although I lived in the countryside and commuted to work by bike for decades, a distance of between 8 and 18 miles each way depending on my duty station at the time.

With everything being delivered to your door now that's even less of an argument.

If they find it convenient or whatever, then all power to them, that's their business, but making stuff up about it being 'essential' is unnecessary.

It is completely essential, there is no non car option for their commute from our house to any of the main centres of employment. Even as a time served cyclist, I may have occasionally ridden to work, but doing that as the default option is not workable and down right dangerous for non cyclists. Take out that option and there is no other way of getting anywhere, we don't have a regular or dependable bus service, not even food deliveries services come to us. So for my kids to have any kind of freedom a car is completely essential.

 

[HLaB]

My little brother will be in his late 30s now and he has never shown an interest in driving.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

If we take it quite literally at the word [i['ownership'[/i], discounting the (shall we say 'usual' ways of buying; bank-loans/HP/etc..) there's a trend towards leasing

I know there's a lot of Nurses at work, who have cars that (at their age) they'd probably not afford, meybe not even under the 'usual' ways?
There are some 22 -25 year olds are driving round in electric Audis, or M-B, due to NHS deals

Equally, I know 2 Consultants who commute by bike (one admittedly gets the train from Leeds to Wakefield, at times), the other (as far as I know, at the age of 55?) doesn't have a driving licence, & rides in every day

 

[mustang1]

It's a combination of tech, high prices and remote working.

Tech like reliable phone networks giving rise to companies like Uber and zip.

High prices: well to the hell with that.

Remote working: less need to commute, can use food delivery companies.