Are EU and UK governments pricing the youngsters out of the freedom and fun of car ownership?

Insurance has always been expensive for young people. I remember insurance costing much more than cars in the 80's for some people and on some cars too.
 
Wow, that list that's being mandated is ridiculous.

Lane Keeping Assist?
Reversing Camera / Sensors?
Intelligent Speed Assist?
Drowsiness and Attention Detection?

FFS - does nobody even need to learn to drive anymore?
 
pastymuncher said:
The biggest obstacle that I can see for young drivers is insurance. Back in 1985 when I passed my test I bought a MK4 Ford Cortina 1.6L which cost me the grand sum of £180 for a years insurance. Now £2k+ per year for a tiny car is common and seems to be a huge obstacle to overcome to me. Personally I can't see any point in buying a small, cheap car only to end up paying more in insurance than the car is worth. I just couldn't bring myself to do that.
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Indeed about 15 years ago my boss asked me to help his nephew out. He had just bought an old escort diesel base model, slowest diesel they made and cost him £1800 but had discovered his insurance premium was £2900 per annum. I couldn't believe it and went hunting but the best I could do for him was £2400 per annum and that was all third party fire and theft.

so buying the £1800 car wasnt the issue, finding the £2400 per annum for the insurance was. Which was why all those deals of small new cars with ones years insurance was so popular. It could work out cheaper per year than buying an old banger.
 
Fewer and fewer youngsters are bothering to learn to drive and that trend was happening before Covid. Hence no need for manufacturers to continue to make small cheap cars for a shrinking market esp when margins are so small they only stack up if they sell loads and loads.
 
Bug One said:
FFS - does nobody even need to learn to drive anymore?
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That would arguably be the ideal scenario, but we're not there yet. People frequently complain about how poor the standard of driving is these days, so the less skill required the better and we can move to world where an individual's driving ability is irrelevant.
 
extending the meme where car ownership will become like the elite ownership of horses in the past,
maybe zoomers need to get on their bike, regain the fitness of their forefathers to walk/cycle places .... and become their namesake
 
Bug One said:
Wow, that list that's being mandated is ridiculous.

Lane Keeping Assist?
Reversing Camera / Sensors?
Intelligent Speed Assist?
Drowsiness and Attention Detection?

FFS - does nobody even need to learn to drive anymore?
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And the first thing people do is turn it all off because it's super annoying having everthing nagging you randomly, because it's not all that intelligent.

It's just more sensors and crap to go wrong later on. Just more dead weight and cost.

We should be making small, efficient and lightweight cars, not giant monstrosities which need to weigh 2 tons to transport all the EU's crap around.
 
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Nasher said:
We should be making small, efficient and lightweight cars, not giant monstrosities which need to weigh 2 tons to transport all the EU's crap around.
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What absolute nonsense is this? Cars need to weigh 2 tons to transport "EU crap"? Honestly the garbage that comes out of your mouth is ridiculous, and incessant.
 
I just did a random check for my daughter who will be 17 in 3 years time.

Her insurance quote on our Suzuki Ignis Sport which is quite spicy for a new pass but still obtainable was £1114 with a box or £1500 without with myself on there as a named driver.

My first car back in 2006 was a 1995 Peugeot 306 1.6 XS which cost me £750 (£1100 in todays money) and £1100 insurance (£1600 in todays money) so is quite comparably. Petrol however was 70P a litre.
 
I passed my test when I was 17 but I didn’t even bother getting a car until I finished full time education (which is at least 21 for >50% of people).

Owning a car at that stage in my life was just unnecessary. By the time I was 21, the first years insurance was £700, the next year was £500 and then £400. I’m in my 30’s and minimum £1500 insurance for 17 year olds was most certainly a thing.
 
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