| With the sheer number of cars on the road - | | | | who will give you a good deal. |
| approximately 600 million worldwide - it's natural for | | | | Start up costs are favourable, too. While the initial |
| people to think that they're the most efficient vehicle to | | | | outlay on the vehicle itself is obviously going to be |
| buy for day-to-day use. And while they're undoubtedly | | | | much lower than if you opt for a car, actually getting |
| incredibly convenient for families or those who take | | | | on the road with a moped will also come cheaper. |
| long trips on a regular basis, there are more | | | | Applying for a provisional drivers' licence will cost £50 |
| economical options out there for people in certain | | | | - the same as for car drivers - but the costs |
| situations. | | | | associated with qualifying for unrestricted road use will |
| Those who live in the city, for instance, could find | | | | be a lot lower. |
| themselves much better off with a moped. If most of | | | | Once they have a provisional licence, moped owners |
| their journeys involved driving to and from work at | | | | must complete Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) |
| peak times, then a moped has many advantages over | | | | before they can hit the road - albeit with L plates |
| the traditional automobile. | | | | attached. CBT costs around £80 to complete; you |
| Not only are the two wheelers incredibly | | | | won't get many car driving lessons for £80 |
| manoeuvrable - ideal for navigating rush hour traffic - | | | | nowadays. Once completed, moped owners can |
| but they also offer significantly reduced running costs | | | | legally drive on the roads (excluding motorways) for |
| when compared to cars. Fuel efficiency is a key | | | | two years. |
| factor here; if you're going to be sitting in traffic a lot in | | | | One thing to note is that people with a full car driving |
| your car, inching forward here and there, then even | | | | licence issued before 1 February 2001 are not legally |
| the most economical models are going to lose out to | | | | required to take CBT. It makes sense to do so, |
| mopeds in those stakes. | | | | however; misplaced overconfidence when driving a |
| In terms of road tax, mopeds again come out a clear | | | | new type of vehicle can lead to accidents, so strongly |
| winner. At £15 for the year, moped road tax comes | | | | consider stumping up the money and learning the |
| in at less than 10% of what it will cost you to tax most | | | | basics before you hit the road. |
| compact cars, which tend to cost upwards of £120 | | | | Once the two year CBT period is up, you'll need to |
| for 12 months. MOT costs are also significantly lower | | | | pass the Practical Moped Test to be able to continue |
| for mopeds - although, as with cars, if you buy a new | | | | driving. That's not to say you need to wait the full two |
| moped then you won't need to take it for an MOT for | | | | years, of course; you can apply to take the practical |
| the first three years. | | | | test whenever you like so long as you've completed |
| Moped insurance is, of course, vital - and while it won't | | | | CBT. |
| come particularly cheap for new drivers, costs should | | | | Taking all into account, those who take lots of short |
| still be favourable when compared to car insurance. | | | | trips could save themselves thousands of pounds over |
| Have a good shop around for your cover; there are a | | | | the years by opting for a moped over a car. Weigh up |
| few good specialist moped and motorbike insurers | | | | your options and see how much you could save. |