UK vs Europe for car enthusiasts
Discussion
dan98 said:
If going as fast as possible on public roads is your thing, then there's only one country of consideration...end of topic.
If breaking existing limits is where the thrill lies, Germany is probably the worst place to be as enforcement is hardcore. Better off heading East to Poland, Bulgaria etc. where the locals get away with pretty much anything.
I perceive low emissions zones and excessive taxes based on CO2 as greater a problem than speed limits and high speeding fines. One can drive without speeding, but one can't escape a low emissions zone when it creeps up on the area you live (possibly are rooted in and can't just leave) which makes you pay every time you drive... and especially such draconian ones where the car is banned (like some areas in France). That's why I'm more worried about the latter.If breaking existing limits is where the thrill lies, Germany is probably the worst place to be as enforcement is hardcore. Better off heading East to Poland, Bulgaria etc. where the locals get away with pretty much anything.
Here in Sweden it seems like its more relaxed in some cases compared to other countries in EU, except for the ones to the east 
New cars have a fairly chunky CO2 tax every year, especially for the first three years, cars with a charging cord are in a majority among new car sales. But before that was introduced owning a big powerful car has been fairly reasonable hence sweden have had among the heaviest/largest avareage car in Europe. Some other things like car insurance seems much easier and cheaper than in the UK for example (except we cant have track days included), especially for young people, and theres no average speed cameras, yet at least. Regarding modding and such its a bit more restrictive, but there are still rules and registration processes to get engine swaps and DIY built cars fully road legal, not nearly as strict as germany for example. Ive ran my old car with plenty of mods through the MOT many times without hassle, it can be more complicated with modern cars though. Track days and racing seems quite a bit cheaper than the UK, though most tracks are smaller, and the motorsport culture isnt as ingrained as in the UK, but much more so than other continental countries, especially at grass roots level.
In general though, playing with cars is not something that will get easier or cheaper in the future, thats for sure.
New cars have a fairly chunky CO2 tax every year, especially for the first three years, cars with a charging cord are in a majority among new car sales. But before that was introduced owning a big powerful car has been fairly reasonable hence sweden have had among the heaviest/largest avareage car in Europe. Some other things like car insurance seems much easier and cheaper than in the UK for example (except we cant have track days included), especially for young people, and theres no average speed cameras, yet at least. Regarding modding and such its a bit more restrictive, but there are still rules and registration processes to get engine swaps and DIY built cars fully road legal, not nearly as strict as germany for example. Ive ran my old car with plenty of mods through the MOT many times without hassle, it can be more complicated with modern cars though. Track days and racing seems quite a bit cheaper than the UK, though most tracks are smaller, and the motorsport culture isnt as ingrained as in the UK, but much more so than other continental countries, especially at grass roots level.
In general though, playing with cars is not something that will get easier or cheaper in the future, thats for sure.
Doofus said:
Is that actually the case?
Maybe I'm exaggerating, but you truly believe it will be just 7 cities for a long time?As far as notice period, I lived in Sutton (Greater London area) since 2017, and the first time I heard about ULEZ expansion into my area was a letter I received from TFL in October-November 2022 saying that ULEZ will come into effect on August 30, 2023 - less than a year away. So things are moving fast.
Edited by turboLP on Thursday 23 May 21:04
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