Car? Or Nah? | V1

Your own car isn‘t the only option at 17 – you can compare the choices and make your own travel mix.

Answer five quick questions. Check out your numbers. Download your mix.

V1_19.2. Benchmark estimates only.

Two routes to freedom.

Start with a vibe check. You can still change your mind later.

The keys

Lessons, test, car keys. That is the expected plan... but the costs can land fast.

The mix

Train, bus, walk, cycle and backup lifts. Same freedom, different route.

Five quick questions

No postcode. No account. Just broad choices for a benchmark comparison.

You picked. We crunched.

Car life vs your smarter mix - rounded, caveated and designed for a proper chat.

What is behind these estimates?

The figures use broad benchmark assumptions. They are not live fares, insurance quotes, personal safety predictions or travel advice. All public claims are subject to verification before launch.

One big question

Has Car, or Nah? changed your mind and made you think more about travel options?

Tap the answer that feels most true right now. This helps us understand whether the pilot is changing how people think about travel.

Thanks - your answer has been recorded.

How we worked it out

These are benchmark estimates, not personal quotes. Here is what sits behind the numbers in My Mix.

Pilot note: all data, formulas and public claims are subject to verification before wider launch.

Cost assumptions

The £££ bit

The app compares a benchmark first-year own-car route with the selected mix of train, bus, tram/metro, walk, cycle, lift/taxi backup and, if selected, My own car.

Used first car purchase£5,000Benchmark budget, not a guaranteed price. Sensitivity range in the data sheet: £3,000-£8,000.

Insurance£2,500Young-driver benchmark. Biggest variable; varies by postcode, car, licence and telematics.

Fuel£1,100/yearScaled by mileage against a 6,000-mile reference year, capped within the working range.

MOT / servicing / tax / parking£55 / £700 / £120 / £300Parking is location-weighted; servicing and repairs are car-age dependent.

Bus fare£3 singleUsed as a capped single-fare benchmark for participating routes only.

Tram/metro fare£3.50 singleBenchmark placeholder only; local tram/metro fares vary and should be verified before public launch.

Rail fare and railcard£6.65 single + £35 railcardRailcard applies only when train is selected; fare benchmark needs CrossCountry sense-check.

Cycle upkeep / lift-taxi backup£100 / £300Used only when selected or when the location/mode mix requires backup assumptions.

Carbon assumptions

The green bit

Carbon uses annual kilometres and mode shares. Walking and cycling are shown as zero direct journey emissions.

Small petrol car0.14308 kg CO2e/kmUsed for own-car and lift/taxi backup distance in the benchmark model.

Average local bus0.10385 kg CO2e/passenger-kmAverage factor; real journeys vary by vehicle, route and occupancy.

National rail / tram / metro0.03546 kg CO2e/passenger-kmNational rail factor used as a public transport benchmark for train and tram/metro in the pilot; not journey-specific.

Walking / cycling0 direct journey emissionsDoes not include lifecycle manufacturing or infrastructure impacts.

Risk

The safety bit

This is a Low, Moderate or Higher risk indicator. It is a mode-mix comparison, not a personal crash prediction.

ScaleLow / Moderate / HigherTravel is more risky if you drive your own car compared to other methods of travel.

RidersLow / Moderate / HigherShown as a simple band only, not a score.

Internal comparison modelSubject to verificationDifferent modes are weighted internally, then shown to users only as Low, Moderate or Higher. Subject to road-safety review.

Do not read this as: “you are X% safer”. It only shows how the selected travel mix changes risk compared with driving your own car at 17.

Exercise assumptions

The feel-good bit

Exercise is estimated from walking, cycling and getting to/from public transport. It is not a health assessment.

Walking speed3 mphUsed to estimate walking minutes. Distance is capped for longer journeys.

Cycling speed10 mphUsed to estimate cycling minutes. Distance is capped to avoid unrealistic outputs.

Public transport access10 mins per journeyRough allowance for walking/wheeling to and from bus, train, tram or metro stops/stations.

StepsNot used as a headlineThe model contains a 2,000 steps/mile assumption for reviewer detail only.

Sources

Source list used in the pilot

Auto TraderFirst-car market and purchase-cost context.autotrader.co.uk

MoneySuperMarket New Driver Report 2025Young-driver insurance benchmark.moneysupermarket.com

GOV.UK bus fare capBus single-fare benchmark and geography/date caveat.gov.uk

16-17 SaverRailcard cost and eligible fare discount.16-17saver.co.uk

Local tram/metro fare benchmarkPlaceholder assumption for pilot only; requires local transport partner verification before public launch.gov.uk

UK Government GHG conversion factorsCar, bus and rail emissions factors.gov.uk

DfT younger driver and road-user-risk dataContext for young-driver and risk wording.gov.uk

Active travel health guidanceContext for walking, cycling and public transport access exercise.gov.uk

Verification status

Subject to verification

Cost and fare wordingSubject to verificationCrossCountry / Community Rail partners to confirm before public launch.

CO2e methodologySubject to verificationSustainability/data reviewer to confirm factors, rounding and refresh process.

Risk bandSubject to verificationRoad-safety reviewer to confirm language, weighting and Low/Moderate/Higher bands.

Exercise assumptionsSubject to verificationAccessibility/inclusion review needed so users are not penalised or shamed.

Tester feedback

Use this during pilot testing. The answers below are sent to Mixpanel as structured feedback so they can be shown in the dashboard.

Testing note

When submitted, these structured answers will be sent to Mixpanel. No free-text comments are collected on this screen.

Privacy note: this pilot feedback screen only collects structured answers for evaluation. It does not collect names, contact details or written comments.

Pilot review checklist

Use this before sharing the pilot more widely. It records what still needs confirmation, without blocking private testing.

Claims and data to verify

Cost assumptionsCar purchase, insurance, fuel, servicing, tax, parking, bus and rail assumptions.Needs sign-off

Railcard and fare wordingConfirm average fare, 16-17 Saver explanation and any CrossCountry-specific caveats.Needs sign-off

CO2e factorsConfirm use of UK Government conversion factors and data refresh date.Needs sign-off

Risk wordingIndependent road-safety review. Keep as risk indicator, not a personal crash-risk score.Needs sign-off

Accessibility and inclusionCheck assumptions about walking, cycling, station access and rural transport barriers.Needs user test

Youth tone and usabilityCheck whether it feels clear, useful and not preachy or cringe.Needs user test

Suggested independent checks

Risk wording: Road Safety GB, Brake, IAM RoadSmart or a local authority road-safety team.
CO2e factors: sustainability/data reviewer using UK Government GHG conversion factors.
Transport realism: Community Rail partners, youth panels and accessibility testers.
User trust: small 16-24 youth testing group plus parent/carer testers.

Launch gates

Do not move from private pilot to public launch until claims, caveats, accessibility and data ownership have been signed off.

Confirm the final data version and refresh date.
Confirm final wording for safety and environmental claims.
Confirm privacy position for feedback and analytics.
Confirm hosting owner, domain and maintenance process.