Commute Savings Calculator — Cycling vs Driving or Public Transport

A typical UK car commuter (10 km each way, 5 days a week, ~40 mpg at ~£1.45/litre with modest parking) saves roughly £1,000-1,500 per year by switching to cycling, after deducting bike running costs. Savings climb towards £2,000+ for longer commutes, higher fuel prices, lower-mpg cars, or city-centre parking fees.

Most cycle commuters ride 80-90% of working days. Adjust the days per week to account for days you might drive or take public transport instead.

This calculator focuses on running costs. The Cycle to Work scheme can save you 25-39% on the initial bike purchase through salary sacrifice, further improving your savings.

This calculator uses a conservative average car tailpipe figure of 120g of CO2 per kilometre. A 10 km each-way commute (20 km return) cycled 5 days a week for 48 weeks covers about 4,800 km, saving roughly 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per year. Longer commutes or a higher emissions factor (UK petrol fleet averages closer to 145-165 g/km) would raise that figure proportionally.

Include annual maintenance (£100-200), replacement tyres and consumables (£50-100), and wet-weather clothing if needed (£100-200 as a one-off).