London the UK’s beloved capital city and it’s the busiest city without a doubt! With an endless amount of public transport available throughout the city, is it worth having your own form of transport? If you’re moving to London or can’t decide if you should give up your current car, we can help you make the decision. What are the benefits of having a car in London and how can you decide if you should buy one?
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Your location
Whereabouts you live in London will affect whether you need a car or not. If you live in the city centre, then you’re more than likely to favour public transport due to the extensive amount of transport links available and add in a little rush hour traffic and it’s not even worth owning a car! However, many people see more benefit from owning a car in London when they live nearer the outskirts.
Ownership
There are several ways to pay for a car in the capital. What you want to get out of your car can determine how you pay for it. For example, getting car finance in London can be beneficial to spread the cost of your car into affordable monthly payments. You could also consider buying a car with cash so you have no monthly instalments and can use the car as much or as little as you need to. You could also consider car-sharing schemes which enables you to rent out your car or rent a car for the day!
Occupation
If you want to travel to work by car, you need to consider where you work. If you work in the city centre it can be quicker to get public transport. Driving in London can also mean you have to pay additional charges such as the Ultra Low Emissions Zone. However, many drivers who work on the outskirts or in offices which have private parking do prefer to drive to work.
Parking charges
When you own a car in London you will need to find somewhere to park it. This can be during the day and at your place pf residence. If you live further out of London, you can park your car outside your home for free. Alternatively, some apartments and flats in central London have charges for parking your car. Out of the cheapest places to park in the UK, London came out as the most expensive with an average of £9.10 per hour! However, many London residential streets have parking with no charges at all!
Congestion charges and fuel costs
As mentioned, many parts of London have congestion charges. The congestion chares were brought in to defer traffic away from the city centre and reduce the number of emissions. Fuel costs are also more expensive in London compared to the rest of the UK. If you do want to get a car in London, you could consider going all electric! Fully electric and most plug-in hybrid vehicles are exempt from congestion charges. There are also a number of charging stations across London which allows you to keep your electric car running!
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