MOBILIANCE

Commute Cost Comparison Calculator

See what your commute really costs by car, public transit, and e-bike or e-scooter over a year — and how much switching modes could save.

Enter distances in the same unit as your fuel economy (km with km/L, or miles with mi/gal). Currency figures come back in whatever you type.

10 = a five-day round-trip commute.
Tyres, servicing, parking — roughly per km/mile.

Annual cost by mode

Car / year
1000
Transit / year
1000
E-bike / e-scooter / year
22.5
Cheapest
E-bike / e-scooter
Car vs micro saving / year
977.5
Distance / year
5000

How the comparison works

Your trip pattern — one-way distance, trips per week, and weeks per year — sets the total distance you travel. The car cost adds fuel to a per-distance allowance for wear and parking; transit multiplies the fare by the number of trips; and micro-mobility charges only for the electricity used. All three are annual, so you can read the difference straight off.

The result also flags the cheapest mode and the yearly gap between driving and riding, which is usually the headline number people care about when they are deciding whether an e-bike will pay for itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What costs does this compare?

It puts three modes on the same annual footing. The car figure combines fuel — your annual distance divided by fuel economy, times fuel price — with a per-distance allowance for tyres, servicing, and parking. Transit is simply the fare per trip times the number of trips. Micro-mobility is the tiny cost of the electricity to charge an e-bike or e-scooter. Everything is scaled to a full year so the totals are directly comparable.

Why is the e-bike or e-scooter cost so low?

Charging a micro-mobility battery uses very little electricity. Riding 5,000 km a year at 15 Wh per kilometre is only about 75 kWh — a few tens of pounds or dollars at typical rates. The calculator deliberately excludes the purchase price here; use the Cost of Ownership Calculator to fold in depreciation, servicing, and battery replacement for a fuller picture.

What units should I use?

Be consistent. Enter distances in kilometres with fuel economy in km per litre and price per litre, or distances in miles with miles per gallon and price per gallon. Currency is whatever you type — the answers come back in the same units and currency you put in.

Should I include insurance and depreciation for the car?

This tool focuses on the running cost of commuting rather than the full cost of owning a car, so it leaves fixed costs like insurance and depreciation out by default. If you want to reflect them, roll a per-distance share into the 'other car cost per distance' field.

Educational estimate only. Prices, fuel economy, and fares vary; use your own local figures and treat the result as a guide, not a quote.