Switch to a scooter and save over £500 a year

It may sound too good to be true, but switching from a car to a scooter for the daily commute could save hard-pressed motorists hundreds of pounds in the first 12 months. A scooter like the Peugeot V-Clic can reduce fuel costs so substantially that it has the potential to pay for itself through money saved on petrol within two years.

Petrol prices have risen by 28% over the past 18 months, steadily increasing from £1 per litre in May 2009 to £1.28 following the VAT increase in January 2011 (data from Petrolprices.com). In a number of areas unleaded fuel now sells for more than £6 per gallon. That means the annual fuel bill for a small car driven in an urban environment would be £805.55, (travelling 5000 miles - half the average UK private mileage - at 36mpg*).

Switching to Peugeot's V-Clic scooter, which returns 100mpg, would reduce expenditure on petrol to £290, saving £515.55 in the first year. Over the course of two years the total saving would exceed £1000, easily off-setting the purchase price of the scooter, which is currently on offer at £929**.

There are other substantial savings to be made when changing from four wheels to two. Road tax (VED) is £15 on scooters under 150cc, compared to £125 for a petrol engined car in band F. Car insurance premiums hit a record high in 2010 - the Shoparound cost of annual comprehensive car insurance is now £792 – and small capacity two-wheelers are generally less expensive to insure. And parking is almost universally free.

For information on the Peugeot V-Clic scooter and details of special offers visit www.peugeotmoto.co.uk