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A second car

A second car covers little distance, and that inverts the whole sum. Everything charged per kilometre loses weight; everything charged per month gains it: insurance, tax, a parking space. Which is exactly why consumption is the least important item on a second car and standing is the most important one — a car that sits still most of the time ages in its battery, brakes, tyres and seals by time rather than by distance.

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What matters

  • Get an insurance quote for the specific car before you buy. Many insurers rate a second car in the same household differently from a first — whether and by how much depends on your policy, the number of drivers and the model. It is not a fixed discount, which is why the quote is the only figure you can rely on.
  • Standing is the real strain. The starter battery drains through the car's electronics, the discs pick up surface rust and the tyres develop flat spots. A trickle charger and one longer run a week cost less than the consequences of either.
  • On a second car a low purchase price is worth more than low depreciation: covering few kilometres, you never recover a premium over distance. A simple, robust car with a good service record almost always beats a younger one with more equipment here.
  • In several countries a second car can be taken off the road for part of the year, or run with another under a shared plate. Whether that is possible where you live, what it changes in tax and premium, and what conditions come with it, is a question for the registration authority — the rule differs from country to country and in places from canton to canton.

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Common questions

How old can a second car be?
Age tells you less here than whether the car was serviced by time. Brake fluid, coolant, the cambelt and the tyres age independently of mileage — on a car that already covered little distance with its previous owner they are often overdue although the odometer reads low. A service book with yearly entries is therefore worth more on an old second car than a low mileage is.
Is a second car worth it compared with renting?
That can be worked out, and without any figure from us: add up everything the second car costs per year while standing still — insurance, tax, parking, depreciation, its share of servicing. Divide the total by the number of trips you genuinely make with it and compare the result with a day's rental on the same route. Below a certain number of trips a year renting always wins; above it, owning wins, and by a clear margin.

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