Its almost fair to say that owning & running a car has to be amongst one of the necessary annual expenses that hurts a family financially. Adding up the cost per year for insurance, road tax, parking permits (if applicable) and the mandatory M.O.T test, will no doubt leave you little change from £1,000. Add to that the rising cost of petrol… Back in January this year, after the huge hike in price of oil, it meant that petrol in the UK was amongst the most expensive in the world. Your vehicle in the mean time will have deprecated in value.

For some affording a car is easy, for others it is a constant struggle – what with taking children to school, or driving to a job in another city. The cost grows and grows. For example if someone lives in the country, without the ‘advantages of public transport’ life can be and will be extremely difficult. Whereas in a city the need for a car diminishes slightly with public transport being more frequent and occasionally ‘cheaper’. Of course the easiest way to get rid of this 4 figure sum of your yearly outgoings is simply to get rid of the motor… but of course this is easier said than done!

The city is a place full of ideas, and we at FashionContrast are fans of ingenuity and generally good ideas, which benefit the people who need help the most. This idea despite it being seemingly around for a while has really given me some form of hope for the future and whilst at lunch today after checking a horrible bank balance made me think…

Urban Car Hire clubs are one way of saving money and still in many ways having access to a motor.  The system is straight forward, there are a fleet of cars parked around a given city, which you can book online, some for as little as an hour. Prices vary from as little as £4-£8 an hour, or roughly £28-£65 for a whole day- this all depends on what car you are hiring. You Porsche 911 chaps: this scheme is not for you… There is a annual membership fee however, which is between £25-50. The best thing about this scheme is petrol is not calculated straight away – you will generally get 30-60 miles free and then be charged at the fairly cheap fee of between 19-25p a mile.

This Could be Yours! On Selected Days!

Of course this scheme only works should there be cars located in your area, and equally if they are available at a time which suits you, so planning is paramount. They do however make huge sense and will save you money if you are an infrequent user.

For more information Car Clubs is a great site and as I found out – that car I used to see on the way to work has a purpose!