Being a family that only owns one car is not normal. I honestly never imagined we’d be here, but alas, in 2022 we sold my car and went into the unknown. If you’re interested in hearing what got us to this point, check out Becoming a One-Car Family: Is it Right For You? I shared all the details there.

For now I’m going to share the benefits to only owning one car. If you’re considering taking the plunge here’s what you can expect.

Being a One Car Family Definitely has its Pros

YOU’LL SAVE MONEY

When you drop your second vehicle you’ll save on insurance and registration. One thing you may not realize is you’ll also save on gas. Without a second mode of transportation, your family will have to coordinate trips out of the house.

For us, if Trent needs to go to Home Depot and I need to go grocery shopping, instead of getting into separate vehicles and going alone, we hop in the same vehicle and get all our to-dos done together.

ONE CAR = LESS TO MANAGE

You’ve heard Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems? Well Mo’ Vehicles Mo’ Issues. You won’t have to remember to get two oil changes, tire rotations, or car washes. Having only one vehicles is nice because there’s just less to manage.

YOU’LL SPEND MORE TIME AS A FAMILY

This piggy-backs off the saving money point. Since having one vehicles means more coordination of schedules, you’ll find yourselves spending more time as a family.

In the past, if one of us needed to be to church really early we had the option of driving separate. Now we all go together regardless of when someone needs to be there.

YOU’LL SPEND MORE TIME OUTSIDE

There will definitely be times when you need to be at two different places at the same time. For us we tackle that one of two ways. Either person 1 drops person 2 off and takes the vehicle to their appointment or one of the people rides a bike.

I’ve taken the kids to the library on more than one occasion while Trent was at work and he’s taken Evan (our son) to play pickleball on mornings when I need to be somewhere with Taya (our daughter). In the past we would have each hopped in a vehicle. Now we walk or take a bike ride and spend time outside.

YOU’LL SPEND MORE TIME WITH OTHER PEOPLE

Remember back in the day when neighbors would help each other out? Or in High School when you and your friends would carpool everywhere? When you become an adult something tells you you have to be independent.

Well, since pairing back to one car we’ve been forced to ask for rides (and offer them in return). When we carpool with others we get a chance to spend extra time with them, which is a benefit we weren’t expecting to receive by going down to one car.

Also, we tend to invite people into our home more. Instead of going out for coffee dates we invite our friends over. Those moments give us an opportunity to practice hospitality (and save some extra cash by brewing coffee at home).

ARE THERE ANY CONS TO OWNING ONE CAR?

There are definitely some down sides to only owning one car. If you want to read through that list check out our other blog 5 Problems With Being a One-Car Family.

Question: What do you think? Would selling a vehicle be worth is for your family?

There’s a better way,
Sarah

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