Hurrah! My car insurance has gone down.
I was a bit fearful when the renewal notice arrived but having gone up (for no obvious reason) by several hundred pounds last year it is now ‘only’ £1,150, which is £150 less than it was in 2024, so at least it’s moving in the right direction.
And it could be a lot, lot worse. Fifteen years ago, when I owned a Mercedes C-Class, I was quoted over £3,000.
I think the insurance company was trying it on (or trying to get me off their books) because I soon found another company that quoted a quarter of that, but I remember being a bit shocked and wondering whether I could afford to keep the car.
Thanks to its CO2 emissions, the road tax on my current car (a medium-sized diesel SUV) is currently quite high, but the car will be five years old in April and next year the road tax will drop significantly.
(I'm not sure why. You would think that an older vehicle would pollute the atmosphere more than a new one, but what do I know?)
When I eventually replace it, though, I will have a decision to make. Do I stick with diesel or do I switch to petrol, hybrid, or full EV (electric vehicle)?
In ten years, perhaps, I might consider a full EV (I'll probably have no choice if petrol, diesel and hybrid cars are banned), but for the moment there is no way I'm giving myself range anxiety every time I set off on a longer journey, like my regular trips to Chester (where my mother lives) or Scotland.
Returning to petrol after 20 years driving diesel cars would also represent a significant change. Truth is, I rather like diesels.
Never in a million years did I think I would say that, but when I got used to them (and the engines became more refined, losing their gruffness) I began to enjoy the extra power (torque).
I also enjoy the significantly better mileage you get from most diesel cars.
A full tank gives me up to 700 miles. Two weeks ago that was enough to drive to Dundee (from Cambridgeshire) and back to Northumberland without refuelling, and with 100 miles still in the tank when I did.
I’m pretty sure that had I been driving a petrol car I would have had to refuel twice, and I can’t imagine the stress of attempting the same journey in an EV, not to mention the hours waiting for the car to recharge.
Which brings me to another option I will consider when the time comes - a petrol hybrid car. (Diesel hybrids exist but are less common.)
Hybrids, which are also under threat, offer what to me seems a reasonable compromise - short battery-powered journeys with the combustible engine kicking in when the battery is exhausted.
The manufacturer of one hybrid SUV I have looked at claims a range of 39 ‘electric’ miles. Car magazines suggest the real world figure is probably nearer 26 miles so I’m not sure how useful it will be, but it’s a step I might be prepared to take, even if the future of hybrids is uncertain.
What’s annoying is that a hybrid car that offers up to 100 battery powered miles would meet most people’s needs but, as things stand, there’s no incentive for manufacturers to improve hybrid battery technology if hybrid cars are going to be banned within ten years.
Meanwhile we just have to hope that full EV technology, including batteries and chargers, improves exponentially over the next few years otherwise tales like the following will continue to hit consumer confidence:
Giles Coren: Why I’ve pulled the plug on my electric car
Iain Dale: Should you buy an electric car? Here’s my experience