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3) More expense With the falling pound and rising car insurance premiums partly due to rise in insurance premium tax, motoring isn’t getting any cheaper. Petrol prices are back on the up due to rising oil wholesale prices and the falling value of the pound. It’s not a cheap time to be a motorist, but the answer isn’t as simple as expecting that everyone will switch to other forms of transport. After the VW emissions scandal, 2017 is a prime time not only for new car buyers to have a keen eye on efficiency and economy, but also to question the claims manufacturers make about their cars. Don’t be shocked if that guy from sales who absolutely must have the sexiest looking car in the showroom suddenly develops a love for pocket-friendly hatchbacks or even a hybrid. Be prepared to talk about MPG instead of 0-60 4) Technology integration As has been the case in previous years, there will be a rise in the number of cars with interactive technology. Think Siri inside your car and you won’t be far wrong. Going beyond the standard sat-nav, not only will cars drive themselves, but they’ll also become a communication tool – they’ll keep you plugged into your emails and social media, sync to live Google maps to improve your journey, and all manner of things. With in-built car technology, if there’s an app for it, you’ll be able to do it in your car. We will also see a rise in the number of drivers happy to use black box technology as a way of driving down their insurance premiums. The internet of things will increasingly include cars, and that can be a good thing for many people. 5) Car sharing Not even owning a car will fast become popular in 2017. With rising costs, parking becoming scarcer, and an increased awareness of the environmental damage that even building a car can cause, more and more people are choosing not to own a car at all. Instead they are using car sharing schemes, where you have access to a pool of cars, and you book one to suit your particular needs at that time – like Boris Bikes in London. With monthly fee and pay-per-mile schemes in operation, a growing number of people have access to a car that they don’t have to worry about maintaining. It’s working in the US – read more at https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/jul/23/car-sharing-helps-environment-pollution Other schemes allow you to rent your car out at times when it would only be parked up on your driveway, giving others access to the vital resource and earning you some money to put towards the essential costs. Peer to peer lending schemes have worked for hotel accommodation – AirBnB – so why not for cars? Check out https://www.hiyacar.co.uk/ if this is something that sounds like it could be good for you What do you think the future holds for cars and drivers?