Google maps - driving times - how accurate do you find it?

[gingerjedi]

Google has 'learnt' my commute and gives me a little update just before I leave telling me how long each journey is going to take considering current traffic conditions, I didn't even ask.

[SimonMac]

100 miles is just on the border of me staying over/driving. When I did it I drove Monday morning, stayed over Monday Night, Drove home Tuesday, Drove Wednesday stayed Wednesday night, drove home Thursday and Fri WFH

[Old Hack]

Sounds like a good idea with the motorhome. Not cheap mind are they?

I hired one last summer to go to a music fest and that cost me £700 for a weeks hire...

It cost £48k and they devalue about 10% a year unlike cars. It saves the business up to £16k a year and has already had 33k wiped off corp tax on it's value, and in 4 years, after keeping it for 5 years, I believe it will still be worth around £30k, so all in all, it will net a large, very large saving. I guess it's a long term aquisition.

Oh, and although it cost me £48k, it only cost around £38,500 after the I go the VAT back. But I will have to charge VAT on the sale, although I can sell it to myself in a few years on the cheap...

Champion purchase really. Was in it last night, and although I had to turn the heating up, was lovely, quiet, and comfortable

[EternalOptimist]

It cost £48k and they devalue about 10% a year unlike cars. It saves the business up to £16k a year and has already had 33k wiped off corp tax on it's value, and in 4 years, after keeping it for 5 years, I believe it will still be worth around £30k, so all in all, it will net a large, very large saving. I guess it's a long term aquisition.

Oh, and although it cost me £48k, it only cost around £38,500 after the I go the VAT back. But I will have to charge VAT on the sale, although I can sell it to myself in a few years on the cheap...

Champion purchase really. Was in it last night, and although I had to turn the heating up, was lovely, quiet, and comfortable

my current gig is in a leafy suberb, with a community centre that has a large empty car park.

quite often there is a motor home parked up there when I arrive at about 7, curtains drawn, all quiet.maybe once a month.

definately someone with your type of approach

[Troll]

It cost £48k and they devalue about 10% a year unlike cars. It saves the business up to £16k a year and has already had 33k wiped off corp tax on it's value, and in 4 years, after keeping it for 5 years, I believe it will still be worth around £30k, so all in all, it will net a large, very large saving. I guess it's a long term aquisition.

Oh, and although it cost me £48k, it only cost around £38,500 after the I go the VAT back. But I will have to charge VAT on the sale, although I can sell it to myself in a few years on the cheap...

Champion purchase really. Was in it last night, and although I had to turn the heating up, was lovely, quiet, and comfortable

Any BIK payable on that?

[SimonMac]

What are the rules though on just parking up a motorhome for the night, I assume you can't just do it on any bit of land you find

[darmstadt]

I quite often see self-employed people here stopped up in their motorhomes althought they tend to be ladies who charge by the hour as well...

[vetran]

Google has 'learnt' my commute and gives me a little update just before I leave telling me how long each journey is going to take considering current traffic conditions, I didn't even ask.

its become self aware - if you see anyone looking like Arnie or Summer Glau - then RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Old Hack]

Any BIK payable on that?

Not unless you use it personally. We took it to our holiday home this year, then used it to cruise spain and sw france for 3 weeks and 'paid' the company €2100 for it's use (the current rate). As long as you do this, then there's no BIK as it's a mobile office, and accomodation. I spoke to the corp tax office, and as long as you can present a case that having it saves money, and therefore presents more profits, then it's a legitimate business purchase. If it's seen as frivolous, then you are going to be in trouble. However, we can, ligitimately, present savings, substantial savings in the form of no hotel costs.

Staying in car parks and the like is called Wild camping and is, strictly speaking, illegal (but curiously not in Scotland and Wales). However, if you're savvy, not messy, and quiet, you can stop anywhere really. I generally pop down country lanes and drive until I see a layby and stop there. Never been troubled aside from an occassional funny guy driving past at 3am and blowing his horn.

Huge savings to be made, and if you arrange your weekends/half terms as a business trip, to Devon, or the lake district, or West Wales, or.....

[Naaarwich]

Going back to the original question, I do find the Google Maps time to be very accurate on time estimate. My Lexus is always way too optimistic even though its supposed to have a live traffic feed.

Very occassionally I do find that some of the routing is odd. From Gants Hill if you take the A12 eastwards, the first right turn is Ley Road. Google maps tells me to take the exit after this, u-turn back and thenturn left.
Both Tomtom and my car satnav get this right. Similar routing issues have happed elsewhere but not enough to stop it from being a great product.
I still dont understand how the Google satnav can get any of the routes wrong because there are only two mapping companies that provide all the maps to the satnav companies (Tomtom now owns one of the mapping companies). I can only think that Tomtom and amy car satnav use one map and Google get theirs from another.