Car running costs / United Kingdom
What a new car costs to run.
Official fuel economy for every new car on sale, priced at this week's pump prices and the energy price cap, plus car tax.
Results
Choose a car above to see what it costs to run.
How we work it out.
- Fuel economy, electric range and CO2 are the official test (WLTP) figures from the Vehicle Certification Agency, supplied by manufacturers. Most cars use more on the road than in the test, so expect to pay more.
- The VCA often lists the same version several times with different results, for example with different wheels. We show the range.
- Fuel is priced at this week's UK average: 175.28p a litre for petrol (also used for hybrids and LPG cars) and 200.04p for diesel.
- Charging is priced as if done at home at the energy price cap's GB average electricity rate, 26.32p a kWh including VAT. Electric car tariffs can be much cheaper overnight. Public rapid chargers usually cost far more.
- Plug-in hybrids assume the battery is charged once a day and you drive the same distance every day: the first part of each day's driving, up to the official electric range, is on electricity and the rest on fuel at the car's battery-empty economy. We also show the cost if it's never charged.
- Car tax is the first-year rate for the car's CO2 (the weighted figure for plug-in hybrids), then £200 a year. Cars with a list price over £40,000, or £50,000 for electric cars, pay £440 a year more for five years from the second year. We don't have list prices, so that isn't included.
- Not included: insurance, servicing, tyres, depreciation, finance, parking, and congestion or clean air zone charges.
Data sources
- Vehicle Certification Agency car fuel data. Contains data from the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution. Figures are supplied by manufacturers and checked by the VCA.
- Weekly road fuel prices (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Ofgem energy price cap. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Vehicle tax rates (GOV.UK). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.