Going to university can bring about so many different questions about what you need to do, what you need to bring and what it’s going to be like. If you can drive and have a car (or other vehicle), then another question is added. Should you bring it to uni? Is it even possible for you to?
In short, you can take your car to university. There is nothing legally stopping you from doing so and university’s policies won’t outright stop you from bringing a car. However, that doesn’t particularly mean that you should bring it. While it will depend on your situation, including the distance of campus and shops and the availability of public transport, bringing a car is sometimes discouraged by universities as there is limited space for them and parking can be pricey.
In this article, we’ll be going through everything involved with brining a car to university from parking to MOTs. Keep reading to have all your questions answered!
Table of Contents
Can you take your car to university?
First of all, let’s answer the most crucial question when it comes to taking your car to university, is it even possible?
Taking a car to university is of course possible, whether you intend to live on campus, in private accommodation or if you intend to commute and live at home. In fact, the question is often less about if you can take your car to university and more about if you should.
In the UK, about 1/3 of students, who have a car, take them to university with them. This shows that while it is possible not that many students do take their cars to university.
You can learn more about this by checking out this article from U Switch.
How does parking work at university?
Parking at university is one of the biggest factors associated with bringing your car to university. Due to this, it’s a really important thing to consider when deciding if you want to bring your car to university or not.
The first thing you need to know about parking at university, whether this is directly on campus or if it is at your accommodation, is that you will often need a permit. This is to show that you have paid and have permission to park at the university so you don’t get fined. Due to this, it’s important that you make sure it’s clearly displayed when you do park at university so you don’t run into any trouble, unless the permit is virtual.
The length of the permit and its exact cost will depend on what your university offers. However, many universities will offer permits for the whole year and/ or just by semester.
Although, it’s also important to note that some universities don’t offer permits to undergraduate students. This means that to bring your car you would need to use the general parking with those costs or park off-campus.
Regardless of whether they offer permits or not, at university car parks or on-road parking spaces, there will generally be a limited number of spaces available. This is just something you should bear in mind when deciding if you want to bring your car.
Another important consideration is the cost, which we’ll be looking at in the following section.
For more information about how parking works at university, have a look at the following links from the University of Reading (here), Newcastle University (here) and the University of Nottingham (here).
How much does parking cost at university?
The exact amount that parking will cost at university will fully depend on which university you choose to go to and how their policies work. Also, it might also depend on if you live on campus or in other university-run accommodation compared to private accommodation.
However, the figures aren’t going to be wildly different so in this section we’ll look at a few examples from different universities.
The cost of a permit will vary but will generally not be too expensive, when considering it on a daily basis and comparing it to the parking costs that are hourly, such as an independent car park. Although, when considering it in an annual or even just semesterly perspective, it looks incredibly costly.
For example, at the University of Suffolk, for both students and staff with permits, it will cost £2 per day Monday- Friday and then be free on weekends during the university year. You can learn more about this by checking out this page on the University of Suffolk’s website.
In terms of universities that don’t offer permits to undergraduate, you will need to use their car parks with the hourly rates or park off-campus.
For example, this is the case at the University of Manchester. At this university, the costs range from £2.20 for up to an hour to £16.50 for a whole 24-hour period. You can learn more about this by checking out this page on their website.
Does being a university student affect car insurance?
In the UK, car insurance doesn’t work any differently for students. Student discounts will genuinely not be available and in fact, car insurance rates will typically be more expensive for the vast majority of the university student population.
This is because if you went straight to university after college or took only a few years out, then you will still be under the age of 25. Drivers under the age of 25 will typically be charged more for insurance as they’re considered higher risk. However, this still has nothing to do with student status.
However, you will still need to update your car insurance provider on your current situation. You will need to inform them that you’re a student and update your address to your university address as that will be where you (and your car) are most of the time.
For more information on this, have a look at this article by U Switch.
Does being a university student affect vehicle tax?
In the UK, being a student doesn’t affect your vehicle tax at all. In fact, the only exemptions from vehicle tax will be if you have a disability, or if your car meets certain criteria. The criteria include having a car made before 1984 and having a fully electric vehicle, which once again is unrelated to student status.
You can learn more on gov.uk.
Does being a university student affect your MOT?
Whether or not you have to get an MOT for your car as well as the costs involved with this will fully depend on the car itself. Due to this, being a student doesn’t affect your MOT at all.
You will still need to get the MOT done as required, so you will need to factor this in, whether you plan to bring your car to university or not. You need to keep this in mind so that you can arrange it around your university studies.
You can learn more about this by checking out this gov.uk page.
Is it worth bringing a car to university?
Figuring out if it’s worth bringing your car to university will entirely depend on your situation. There aren’t particularly any issues with insurance, tax or getting an MOT.
However, it may not be such a good idea, depending on what your university offers in terms of parking as this tends to be minimal. In the grand scheme of things, parking is quite expensive, and you’ll need to consider how much you can afford, on top of petrol and other costs of living away from home.
In fact, some universities recommend that you don’t bring a car to university if you are living in university accommodation as there’s simply not enough parking and for every student. Although, at least in the University of Suffolk’s case, they recognise that you may need a car to travel to placement as a part of your course. You can learn more about this by checking out this page on the University of Suffolk’s website.