My car costs me £6,000 a year – but it’s a necessity
MARKETING assistant Becky Read drives from Bristol to Swindon every day for work – and finds that the commute eats into a big chunk of her monthly income.
Becky, 24, bought a new Vauxhall Corsa last November. After putting down a deposit of £1,100, she pays £159 a month on her car finance deal.
She says: ‘When my old car – a Vauxhall Agila – broke down, I decided it made sense to buy a new, reliable car for commuting.
‘For me, a car is a necessity, not a luxury.’
As well as using her car throughout the week for work, Becky also uses it a lot at the weekend. She adds: ‘I pay around £250 a month for petrol, but do always try to find the cheapest place to fill up locally. I also shopped around to reduce the cost of my insurance.
‘Until recently I had been paying a hefty £1,600 to Aviva for annual cover, even though I had been driving for several years and never made a claim.
‘I have now got a cheaper deal from Admiral, but it still costs £744.’
She calculates that servicing costs around £250 a year and the MOT £40. This equates to a total annual motoring cost of almost £6,000.
‘It puts a real strain on my finances,’ she admits.