How Much Does a Daily Commute Cost?
A 20-mile round-trip commute in a 40mpg petrol car costs about £3.66 a day, or £842 a year. At the current UK average of 161.2p a litre, every mile costs roughly 18.3p. The number most people get wrong is the annual one - a modest daily figure turns into a significant yearly cost across 230 working days.
What your commute costs, by distance and economy
| Round trip | 30 mpg | 40 mpg | 50 mpg | 60 mpg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 miles | £561 | £421 | £337 | £281 |
| 20 miles | £1,123 | £842 | £674 | £561 |
| 30 miles | £1,684 | £1,263 | £1,010 | £842 |
| 40 miles | £2,245 | £1,684 | £1,347 | £1,123 |
| 60 miles | £3,368 | £2,526 | £2,021 | £1,684 |
Diesel costs more per litre - 182.4p against 161.2p - but diesel engines typically return better economy, which usually cancels out. See our guide on petrol versus diesel running costs for the full comparison.
How to work out your own figure
The arithmetic is simple:
Cost per mile = (4.546 ÷ mpg) × price per litre in pounds
4.546 is the number of litres in a gallon. At 40mpg and 161.2p: (4.546 ÷ 40) × 1.612 = 18.3p per mile.
Multiply by your round trip, then by the days you actually commute. Our fuel cost calculator does this with live prices, and lets you enter your real mpg rather than the manufacturer's claim.
Use your real mpg, not the brochure figure
Official WLTP figures are measured under controlled conditions. Real-world commuting - cold starts, traffic, short distances - is typically 10% to 20% worse. A car rated at 55mpg often returns 45mpg in stop-start commuting.
To find your actual figure: fill the tank, note the mileage, drive normally, refill, and divide the miles covered by the litres added, then multiply by 4.546.
Where the cheapest saving is
Most commuting advice focuses on driving style, which does help. But the single easiest saving is where you fill up. The gap between the cheapest and dearest station in a typical town is 8p to 12p a litre.
On the 20-mile commute above - about 520 litres a year - a consistent 10p saving is £52 annually for no change in behaviour beyond checking before you fill. Compare that with the effort required to improve your mpg by 10%, which saves £84 on the same commute.
Both are worth doing. One takes thirty seconds. Check prices near you on findpetrol or browse your region.
What else the commute costs
Fuel is the visible cost, not the whole one. HMRC's approved mileage rate of 45p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles is intended to cover fuel, wear, servicing, tyres, insurance and depreciation - roughly two and a half times the fuel cost alone. For commuting, which is not tax deductible for employees, the useful comparison is against public transport or a shorter journey.
Frequently asked questions
How many days a year should I use?
230 is a reasonable default: 260 weekdays less 28 days holiday and a few days of illness or home working. Adjust for your own pattern - two days a week at home cuts the total by 40%.
Does stop-start traffic really make that much difference?
Yes. Engines are least efficient at low speeds and when cold. A congested urban commute can return 30% worse economy than the same distance on an A-road. Our guide to fuel-saving tips for city driving covers what actually helps.
Is it cheaper to take a longer but faster route?
Often, yes. Steady speeds burn far less than repeated acceleration, so a longer route avoiding congestion can use less fuel despite the extra distance. The calculator will let you compare both.
What about an electric car?
Charging at home on a cheap overnight tariff is substantially cheaper per mile than petrol. Charging on public rapid chargers narrows the gap considerably. The comparison depends almost entirely on where you charge.
Find the cheapest fuel near you
Compare live petrol and diesel prices at every forecourt in your area.