No matter which method you chose to finance a car there will be additional financial factors to consider including: car insurance, Vehicle Excise Duty, the day-to-day maintenance of the vehicle including wear-and-tear damage such as replacing tyres and getting the vehicle though an annual MOT. For those living in densely populated areas there could be other financial implications such as the cost of on-street parking or a congestion charge. Car clubs could be the answer for many city-dwellers, and the U.K. government has set its targets high for driving up use of these services amongst the public. The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, with help from Transport for London and Carplus, has backed an initiative from the Car Club Coalition looking to increase car club membership to over 1 million by the 2020s. The benefit to car club members is clear; an easy-to-manage service that allows casual and cost effective access to a fleet of modern cars within close range. According to recent research, 50% of Londoners now live within a 5-minute walk of a car club car, helping to remove the reliance on ownership of a private vehicle. Of course, selling your current vehicle and joining a car club might not be the right route to take for everyone. Car club membership in rural areas makes less sense, with few clubs covering areas outside major cities. For those in areas where car club membership is impractical, it is likely that traditional car ownership will remain the primary way to access a car. The usual costs of ownership will continue to apply for these road users, along with the unfortunate reality that their cars will likely depreciate during their ownership. Understanding the rate of depreciation is an important factor when choosing a vehicle, so making use of a car valuation tool is definitely worthwhile. For some drivers, owning a car will, out of necessity, remain their only real choice. For others it will be one option amongst several, or only a single part of their personal transportation solution. The target of 1 million car club members is ambitious and in the meantime, car sales continue to be high. An end to the traditional form of car ownership is certainly nowhere in sight.