UK man bought a car and insured it for trip as it ended up being cheaper than a train ticket
Published on Feb 21, 2026 at 4:44 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Feb 19, 2026 at 9:01 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
A UK man looked at the price of a train ticket and decided to think outside the box.
Instead of booking a seat, he bought an actual car.
An £80 Honda Civic that was basically one step away from the scrapyard.
And somehow, the numbers still worked out in his favor.
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The math that made buying a car cheaper than a train ticket
Tom Church needed to travel from London to Bristol in the UK.
When he checked the price of a return train ticket, it could have cost up to £218.10 – about $275.
That’s when he had a slightly unhinged idea.
He found a used Honda Civic online for around $100 and bought it instead.
Then he sorted out car tax, insurance, and fuel.
It took him two weeks to get everything ready, but eventually he hit the road.
The full 340-mile round trip cost him roughly $260 (£206.81).
So yes, buying, insuring, and driving a whole car was technically cheaper than one train ticket.
It did take longer.
The drive was 3 hours and 30 minutes, while the train only takes an hour 45.
But Tom didn’t seem to mind.
“Buying a car for one trip was still expensive. It was stupid. But not as stupid as spending even more on just one train ticket,” he said.
And here’s the best part: when he got home, he still owned the car.
He even planned to sell it and possibly make money back.
Imagine turning your commute into a side hustle.
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The train company says… maybe calm down
Great Western Railway wasn’t totally impressed.
A spokesperson said if Tom had waited just one hour, he could’ve bought an off-peak ticket and saved more than £125.
They also pointed out that advance tickets can start from as little as £8 – about $10.
Plus, there’s the small detail that buying and insuring a car is slightly more effort than tapping your phone and boarding a train.
And even Tom admitted he wouldn’t recommend everyone copy him.
Still, for one chaotic moment, an £80 Honda Civic beat the train on pure math.
It might not be the smoothest travel tip ever, but it’s definitely one heck of a story to tell.
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With roles at TEXT Journal, Bowen Street Press, Onya Magazine, and Swine Magazine on her CV, Molly joined Supercar Blondie in June 2025 as a Junior Content Writer. Having experience across copyediting, proofreading, reference checking, and production, she brings accuracy, clarity, and audience focus to her stories spanning automotive, tech, and lifestyle news.
