Vehicle Costs
Official fuel economy figures and real ones diverge for reasons built into the test
A published consumption figure is the result of a standardised laboratory procedure designed to make models…
· 3 min read
Vehicle Costs
Depreciation is the largest bill and the only one that never arrives
For most vehicles the loss of value over a period of ownership exceeds fuel, servicing and insurance combined, and it is invisible because nobody ever sends an invoice for it.
By Vaishnavi Rao · · 3 min read
Vehicle Costs
Servicing is two different jobs sold under one word
A scheduled service is a manufacturer’s prediction about wear; the work that follows an inspection is a…
· 3 min read
Vehicle Costs
Tyres are a running cost measured in millimetres
The only part of a car touching the road is a consumable whose condition governs braking, grip in the wet…
· 3 min read
Vehicle Costs
A repair bill is mostly labour, and labour is priced by how hard the part is to reach
The cost of fixing a car has far less to do with the price of the component than with the hours needed to…
· 3 min read
Vehicle Costs
How a car is paid for changes what it costs and what the policy has to do
Buying outright, borrowing against the vehicle and renting it for a period are three different financial…
· 3 min read
Vehicle Costs
Electric running costs move the bill around rather than removing it
Swapping fuel for electricity changes which line items dominate a running-cost calculation, and several of…
· 3 min read
Vehicle Costs
A car that is not being driven is still spending money
Standing costs continue regardless of mileage, and several forms of deterioration are actually accelerated…
· 3 min read
Vehicle Costs
The periodic roadworthiness test is a floor, not a service
A statutory inspection checks whether a vehicle meets a minimum safety standard on the day it is examined…
· 4 min read
Vehicle Costs
Where you park and drive is a running cost that never appears in a brochure
Parking, tolls, emissions zones and road-user charges attach to the place rather than the vehicle, and for…
· 3 min read
Vehicle Costs
An older car eventually costs more because of what you cannot buy than what you can
Running costs on an ageing vehicle are governed less by wear than by whether the parts still exist, who…
· 4 min read
Vehicle Costs
A notifiable medical condition is a licensing matter first and an insurance matter second
Two separate duties run in parallel when health affects driving, and the one owed to the licensing…
· 4 min read