Driving or Train - which is cheaper?

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bp5678
bp5678 Posts: 413 Forumite
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edited 12 June 2019 at 11:08PM in Motoring
Which is cheaper when you factor everything into account?

Car:
I drive a new'ish 67 plate Seat Ibiza (11,000 miles done). It's pretty fuel efficient at about 55mpg.
Obviously you'll need to factor in other things like wear and tear etc.

I know companies usually pay 45p per mile but i think that's pretty generous.

Train:
I have a 16-25 railcard giving me a 33% discount on train travel.
I have to drive 4.4 miles to the train station (10 min drive) and parking is free.

1) Which (on the whole) is cheaper for me?

2) Which is cheaper out of the two if doing the following journey?
Car: I can drive 47 miles (1 hour 10 mins) at about 60mpg.
Train: £8.70 plus a 4 mile drive to the station (12 mins and free parking).
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  • a.turner
    a.turner Posts: 655 Forumite
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    Can't you work it out?
  • bp5678
    bp5678 Posts: 413 Forumite
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    edited 12 June 2019 at 11:10PM
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    a.turner wrote: »
    Can't you work it out?
    I could if I knew what an accurate/realistic cost of running a car per mile is as I think 45p which companies offer is pretty generous.

    I would've thought for this specific journey a train would be cheaper but on the whole usually driving is cheaper but i guess a lot of it is a case-by-casis basis.
  • missile
    missile Posts: 11,689 Forumite
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    On your example the car would be cheaper. The incremental cost for maintenance, wear and tear would be negligible.

    More importantly would the train be more comfortable / quicker, are the train times convenient?
    "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
    Ride hard or stay home :iloveyou:
  • Cornucopia
    Cornucopia Posts: 16,156 Forumite
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    Is the rail fare correct? I live closer to London than that, but the fares go as high as £50 (peak single). For me, car is always cheaper than public transport. :(
  • Richard53
    Richard53 Posts: 3,173 Forumite
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    edited 12 June 2019 at 11:45PM
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    There are other ways of looking at this. Working out the cost per mile of a car in order to compare with another method of transport can be misleading.


    If you already own the car, and are happy to pay the standing costs of ownership (tax, MOT, annual service, RAC/AA, insurance) for the benefit of just having the car on the driveway because you need it, then all an individual journey costs is the fuel you use. This is how I view it. For me, using the car is almost always cheaper than the train or bus.
    If someone is nice to you but rude to the waiter, they are not a nice person.
  • DUTR
    DUTR Posts: 12,958 Forumite
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    bp5678 wrote: »
    Which is cheaper when you factor everything into account?

    Car:
    I drive a new'ish 67 plate Seat Ibiza (11,000 miles done). It's pretty fuel efficient at about 55mpg.
    Obviously you'll need to factor in other things like wear and tear etc.

    I know companies usually pay 45p per mile but i think that's pretty generous.

    Train:
    I have a 16-25 railcard giving me a 33% discount on train travel.
    I have to drive 4.4 miles to the train station (10 min drive) and parking is free.

    1) Which (on the whole) is cheaper for me?

    2) Which is cheaper out of the two if doing the following journey?
    Car: I can drive 47 miles (1 hour 10 mins) at about 60mpg.
    Train: £8.70 plus a 4 mile drive to the station (12 mins and free parking).

    That is the rate before tax, you'd be more than likely collecting around 28p/mile.
  • Mercdriver
    Mercdriver Posts: 3,898 Forumite
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    a.turner wrote: »
    Can't you work it out?

    If you don't want to help, you can always find another thread, surely? Why waste effort typing at all if you don't want to help. Simply roll your eyes and move on. Simples.
  • coffeehound
    coffeehound Posts: 5,674 Forumite
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    Doing a short 10-minute journey twice a day could bring its own engine problems further down the line.
  • loskie
    loskie Posts: 1,761 Forumite
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    45ppm is the HMRC rate there is no tax payable on that rate or below.
  • DUTR
    DUTR Posts: 12,958 Forumite
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    loskie wrote: »
    45ppm is the HMRC rate there is no tax payable on that rate or below.

    Oddly the rate I can claim equates to 45p less stoppages and I can claim the tax difference between the 45p and the rate I get from the company.
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