What is the best thing about giving up a car? According to commuters, almost everything

For more than a century, the private car has been presented as a symbol of freedom. Cities adapted to it, suburbs expanded because of it, and everyday life began to revolve around transport, parking, fuel prices, insurance renewals, and the quiet stress of sitting in traffic jams while actually going nowhere. But this story is now slowly becoming a thing of the past.

In North America and elsewhere, more and more people are experimenting with a so-called car-light lifestyle (owning a car but using it only rarely) or a car-free lifestyle (giving up a car entirely). Rising costs are only part of the reason. Changing values also play a role: concerns about the climate crisis, burnout, the desire for a healthier daily routine, and growing frustration with cities designed almost exclusively for cars rather than people. In 2025, the average annual cost of owning and operating a car in the Czech Republic was 100,000 CZK.

For many people, living with less car use does not start for ideological reasons. It often happens by chance: a new job closer to home, moving to a denser neighbourhood, or buying a bike “just for weekends” that gradually becomes the main mode of transport. What often surprises people is not what they lose by driving less—but what they gain.

A recent online discussion started with a simple question: what is the best thing about giving up a car or using it only minimally? Responses quickly multiplied—sometimes humorous, sometimes deeply personal—and together they form a vivid picture of life outside the driver’s seat.

It turns out there is not just one benefit, but a wide range: financial, physical, psychological, social, and sensory. And for many people, once they experience these benefits, they are reluctant to go back to their previous way of life, writes Canadian Momentum Mag.

More money than expected—and faster than you think

If one answer appeared almost universally, it was money. Not in the abstract sense of “saving for retirement,” but as an immediate and very tangible relief. “No car payments, no gas, no expensive repairs,” one commenter wrote directly. Another summed it up even more simply: “More money!”

Several people reported saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month after factoring in loan payments, insurance, fuel, parking, and maintenance. One cyclist calculated that keeping annual transport costs under $1,000 was equivalent to a $5.77 hourly pay raise. Another wrote that giving up a car made it possible to afford rent in an expensive city.

What stood out was not only the savings themselves, but the psychological relief that came with them. People described no longer worrying about unexpected breakdowns, inspections, registration renewals, or warning lights on the dashboard. As one commenter put it, car ownership felt like an endless background list of small tasks—and that disappeared when the car did.

Health benefits that come quietly

Many cyclists admitted they did not start commuting by bike for fitness. Fitness simply arrived as a side effect.

Stories of weight loss repeated again and again:

• 20 kg lost without much effort
• gradual additional weight loss
• stronger legs, better lung capacity, firmer glutes

Just as common were comments about mental health. Cycling to work became a daily reset for many people—a natural transition between home and office that driving never provided. Some described their commute as almost meditative: a chance to wake up in the morning and unwind in the evening. Stress that they previously brought home from work simply dissolved somewhere between the cycle path and their front door.

One cyclist summed it up neatly: you can have a commute that raises your blood pressure and cortisol levels, or one that quietly makes you healthier while getting you where you need to go.

Time without traffic jams feels different

One of the most underestimated benefits, according to participants, is predictability. Cycling to work usually takes roughly the same amount of time every day. No traffic jams, no accidents blocking roads, no desperate search for parking at the last minute. “Traffic jam? I don’t know it,” one commenter joked.

Some cyclists also pointed out that even if cycling is not always the absolute fastest option, it feels faster—because it is active, enjoyable, and free of frustration. Others mentioned the simple pleasure of being able to stop right at the destination, instead of circling streets or feeding parking meters.

You start noticing the world again

One of the most poetic themes of the discussion was how strongly people’s perception of their surroundings changed once they stopped driving everywhere. Cyclists described blooming lilacs, laurel bushes, urban wildlife, sunrises over lakes, and small human moments that driving usually erases from awareness. On a bike, it is easy to stop for a photo, notice a strange garden decoration, or exchange a few words with a neighbour.

Several people even reported forming new friendships along the way—with other cyclists, dog walkers, or parents cycling their children to kindergarten. One commenter put it very simply: in a car, you are separated from the world. On a bike, you are part of it.

Freedom you may not have experienced before

Beyond all the practical benefits, many cyclists struggled to describe the best part without using a single word: joy. Cycling makes it feel as if people return to childhood. It is efficient, quiet, and deeply satisfying. It replaces the boredom and irritation of driving with fresh air and a sense of control. Even bad weather does not fully ruin the experience—some admitted they actually felt sad on days when they had to drive a car.

Of course, this does not mean everything is purely romantic. Several commenters were honest about the downsides: cold mornings, days spent maintaining a bike, close overtaking by irresponsible drivers. Still, most concluded it is worth it—and that bike maintenance, despite its minor inconveniences, cannot compete with the cost and complexity of car ownership.

Fewer cars, not blind dependence on cycling

Interestingly, many cyclists emphasised that this is not an “all or nothing” lifestyle. Some kept a car for weekend trips, countryside visits, or transporting larger items. Others used trains, public transport, rentals, or car-sharing when cycling was not practical. The point is not purity of lifestyle—it is choice. Owning a car no longer automatically means using it.

And once people experience what it is like to live without constantly driving, they tend to value it greatly. One long-term car-free cyclist, celebrating ten years without a car, wrote: “I will hold onto the handlebars as long as I can.”

What you definitely won’t miss

Ask any group of cycling commuters what they love most about life with fewer cars, and you will not get one answer—you will get a chorus:

• More money
• Better health
• Less stress
• Stronger communities
• A deeper connection to place

And perhaps most surprisingly: almost nobody misses traffic jams, parking, or gas stations. Our parents were raised with the idea that a car equals freedom. But times have changed. Try it for a month mostly on your own power with the May Challenge Bike to Work, and you may see for yourself.

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