How much would it cost to travel 300 miles a week?

pompeyrich

I've been logging my mileage and fuel usage obsessively since I changed cars recently, I use the Fuel log app which lets you input miles, litres and price per litre and calculates it to good old MPG.

It's a 2.0 litre Insignia diesel and I'm getting around 45 MPG which is around 10p a mile, although I haven't paid over £1 a litre this year, yet. So around £6 a day for 60 mile round trip.

I'm "lucky" that I work 6-2 shifts and the roads are quiet, so my almost 30 mile each way commute takes around 30 min trip each way, mainly on dual carrriageway at 70MPH ish.

Another cost is wear and tear, 600 miles a week is 13,500 a year allowing for days off, just for work, tyres brakes and other items are going to need changing more and your mileage is going to be above average with leisure use on top so depreciation will be potentially greater too.

Also a back up plan is good in case the car lets you down, flat battery or tyre, needs a service or whatever, so plenty more costs than just fuel.

Andy_L

The AA's numbers for running costs are here:
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/running_costs/index.html

caprikid1

for many people depreciation can be the larger chunck.

DominicH

caprikid1 wrote: »

for many people depreciation can be the larger chunck.

Sure, except that mileage-based depreciation should be considered separately from age-based depreciation, because the latter happens even if you don't use the car.

Including the wear-and-tear component along with the fuel component, I budget at about £0.25p per mile, and that's for an old banger. The ~£0.40 that you might get when you claim mileage expenses at work is not far off the true average cost per mile, when you take into account how mileage affects the value of a newer car, and the cost of replacing tyres etc.

But the OP asked specifically about fuel cost.

mark5

DominicH wrote: »

Sure, except that mileage-based depreciation should be considered separately from age-based depreciation, because the latter happens even if you don't use the car.

Including the wear-and-tear component along with the fuel component, I budget at about £0.25p per mile, and that's for an old banger. The ~£0.40 that you might get when you claim mileage expenses at work is not far off the true average cost per mile, when you take into account how mileage affects the value of a newer car, and the cost of replacing tyres etc.

But the OP asked specifically about fuel cost.

Very true, I think my car is costing about 46 pence per mile on lease hire when you factor in all costs.

jimjames

mark5 wrote: »

My golf tdi costs about £43-44 to fill up at the moment and does about 430 miles to a tank, on a longer run sticking to 70 however it can do 550-600 miles to a tank

Mine Golf TDI is about 600 miles per tank and was when I was doing 35,000 miles per year with an average of 52mpg.
Fortunately there is zero depreciation just the cost of servicing to consider.

bigjl

Kirsty_A wrote: »

I travel roughly 300 miles a week. 260 for work + weekend driving and driving places on my lunch break would make it there or thereabouts.


I drive a 1.2 Diesel EcoFlex Vauxhall Corsa. It costs me just over £20 per week.

So nearly 70mpg?

Is that using brim to brim calculations? Or do you literally just put in £20?

bigjl

pompeyrich wrote: »

I've been logging my mileage and fuel usage obsessively since I changed cars recently, I use the Fuel log app which lets you input miles, litres and price per litre and calculates it to good old MPG.

It's a 2.0 litre Insignia diesel and I'm getting around 45 MPG which is around 10p a mile, although I haven't paid over £1 a litre this year, yet. So around £6 a day for 60 mile round trip.

I'm "lucky" that I work 6-2 shifts and the roads are quiet, so my almost 30 mile each way commute takes around 30 min trip each way, mainly on dual carrriageway at 70MPH ish.

Another cost is wear and tear, 600 miles a week is 13,500 a year allowing for days off, just for work, tyres brakes and other items are going to need changing more and your mileage is going to be above average with leisure use on top so depreciation will be potentially greater too.

Also a back up plan is good in case the car lets you down, flat battery or tyre, needs a service or whatever, so plenty more costs than just fuel.

Is the 13500 miles a year a typo? As that would average 260 miles a week?

Or is 600 the maximum if you work 5 days?

pompeyrich

bigjl wrote: »

Is the 13500 miles a year a typo? As that would average 260 miles a week?

Or is 600 the maximum if you work 5 days?

Sorry the 600 a week was the typo, should be 300, 5daysX60miles and then by 45 weeks, is 13,500 allowing for holidays and the odd absence, bank holiday etc. I don't know the OPs shift patterns so assumed an old fashioned "normal" working week.

mark5

jimjames wrote: »

Mine Golf TDI is about 600 miles per tank and was when I was doing 35,000 miles per year with an average of 52mpg.
Fortunately there is zero depreciation just the cost of servicing to consider.

What year is it?

I'm sure my mark 4 tdi used to take about 55-57 litres if I run it to empty, my current mk 7 is about 49 litres so this would add 10% to the total distance range.