Carbon Neutral Hire Car
In a recent survey, 23% have either used or are considering using car rental as an alternative to car ownership. Paul Wilson is one of those people and the Eco-Rally coincided with a week when he needed to hire a car, so he decided to take part and share his views.
I like trying out different cars. I'm originally from South Africa where cars are pretty much essential, but here in the UK I can normally get by on my bike or on public transport. I don't earn a great deal of money but when I need a car I like to treat myself and normally choose a fast one.
Driving in the UK can be a hassle but I keep it fresh by choosing a different model with extra features. In South Africa I could keep my car safely locked up in my garage and I don't like the idea of leaving it out on the street - especially since where I live I'd have to pay for resident's parking. By hiring a car, there's no stress, no hassle and if I feel like driving around in a powerful car for a few days, I won't be stung by Vehicle Excise Duty.
When I was in the States I used to pay a small fee to carbon-offset my journey so I'm pleased to hear that Enterprise Rent-a-Car will be offering it in the UK.
At Europcar, we are starting to see more people renting for day to day needs. When you look at the figures, 54% of the cost of running a car is fuel and over 70% of that cost is fuel tax and VAT. By renting a car you can eliminate all the other costs - insurance, maintenance and roadside assistance and also reduce fuel consumption by as much as a third by driving a nearly new car in a more efficient way. - Tim Bailey, Fleet Director for Europcar UK Group
Key Statistics from the Europcar survey
- More than 1 in 3 people (34%) think we are trapped into car ownership.
- Around 1 in 4 (26%) think that the cost of car ownership outweighs the benefits.
- Almost 1 in 5 has absolutely no idea about how much it costs to run a car - only 8% correctly estimated the annual running cost of owning a new car.
- In a bid to cut costs, I in 4 has decided not to change their car this year, 16% have cut costs in terms of servicing, maintenance (14%) and/or roadside assistance (11%)
- 68% are using their car less frequently and almost half (46%) have changed the way they drive to conserve fuel
- Over 1 in 5 (23%) have either used or are considering using car rental as an alternative to ownership
The YouGov survey commissioned by Europcar UK Group was conducted between 23rd and 25th September 2008. 1,563 UK Adults who own or use a car were surveyed - a representative sample of all UK adults.
