What is your cost per mile?
Discussion
Taking into account of everything you've spent and incurred on your car this year how much does it cost you per mile? Don't include luxuries like mods as these are not really directly related to the "cost of running" the car.
Taking my car for this year, a MK1 Focus 1.8 petrol:
Insurance: 350
Road tax: 215
Depreciation: 300 approx
Petrol 9000 miles X 22p = 1980
Repairs and MOT: 250 approx
Total = 3095
Cost per mile = 3095/9000 = 34p
As a comparison, a return bus ticket to the city centre (10 miles return) is £3.20 compared to £3.40 for the car, so public transport is cheaper! Obviously, this is a very simple comparison and doesn't take into account other factors. For example, the car is a lot more convenient and quicker and I can carry passengers and luggage. On the other hand I haven't included car parking charges if I'm driving into town. If I double my mileage the cost per mile goes down to 28p or £2.80 to go to town!
I reckon my cost per mile is in the lower end of the spectrum but I bet there are a lot of people with much lower figures!
Taking my car for this year, a MK1 Focus 1.8 petrol:
Insurance: 350
Road tax: 215
Depreciation: 300 approx
Petrol 9000 miles X 22p = 1980
Repairs and MOT: 250 approx
Total = 3095
Cost per mile = 3095/9000 = 34p
As a comparison, a return bus ticket to the city centre (10 miles return) is £3.20 compared to £3.40 for the car, so public transport is cheaper! Obviously, this is a very simple comparison and doesn't take into account other factors. For example, the car is a lot more convenient and quicker and I can carry passengers and luggage. On the other hand I haven't included car parking charges if I'm driving into town. If I double my mileage the cost per mile goes down to 28p or £2.80 to go to town!
I reckon my cost per mile is in the lower end of the spectrum but I bet there are a lot of people with much lower figures!
Edited by focusdriver on Monday 29th October 21:04
My 'Garage' section tells me mine costs me 62.7p, 80p exactly including petrol. Which is fair as I have owned the car for 3 months and done 1'600miles or so. I have spent almost what I payed for the car on routine maintainence and a pre-emptive replacement of both driveshafts having heard the tell tale signs of driveshaft wear.
Of course I am aiming to sell at a profit which would change the figure positively (not looking to 'make back' what I paid on insurance and tax, just cover purchase and servicing).
Of course I am aiming to sell at a profit which would change the figure positively (not looking to 'make back' what I paid on insurance and tax, just cover purchase and servicing).
Taking my car for this year, a 2005 Audi S4 Avant:
Insurance: 800
Road tax: 260
Depreciation: 1500 approx
Petrol: 15000 miles @ 24mpg 4000
Repairs, service and MOT: 150
Total = 6710
Less:
Mileage claim from work (12k at 26ppm): 3120
Net cost: 3590
Cost per mile = 3590/15000 = 24p
See! v8's are cheap! Man maths always wins.
Insurance: 800
Road tax: 260
Depreciation: 1500 approx
Petrol: 15000 miles @ 24mpg 4000
Repairs, service and MOT: 150
Total = 6710
Less:
Mileage claim from work (12k at 26ppm): 3120
Net cost: 3590
Cost per mile = 3590/15000 = 24p
See! v8's are cheap! Man maths always wins.
For the Triumph GT6:
Insurance: 175
Road tax: 0
Depreciation: 0
Petrol 5000 miles X 30p = 1500 (27mpg running on Shell VPower)
MOT and parts: 500
Total = 2175
Cost per mile = 2175/5000 = 0.44p
For the MGB GT V8:
Insurance: 150
Road tax: 215
Depreciation: 0
Petrol 3000 miles x 31p = 930 (20mpg running on 95 octane unleaded)
MOT and parts: 500
Total = 1795
Cost per mile = 1795/3000 = 0.60p
For the (upcoming) Land Rover Discovery V8 (based on winter mileage, if I end up choosing to use it year round the mileage will go up to around 8000):
Insurance: 440
Road tax: 215
Depreciation: 0
Petrol (LPG) 5000 miles x 27p = 1350 or 8000 miles x 27p = 2160 (Assuming 12mpg on LPG)
MOT and parts: 500
Total = for 5000 miles: 2505 or for 8000 miles: 3315
Cost per mile for 5000 miles = 2505/5000 = 0.50p Cost per mile for 8000 miles = 3315/8000 = 0.41p
Insurance: 175
Road tax: 0
Depreciation: 0
Petrol 5000 miles X 30p = 1500 (27mpg running on Shell VPower)
MOT and parts: 500
Total = 2175
Cost per mile = 2175/5000 = 0.44p
For the MGB GT V8:
Insurance: 150
Road tax: 215
Depreciation: 0
Petrol 3000 miles x 31p = 930 (20mpg running on 95 octane unleaded)
MOT and parts: 500
Total = 1795
Cost per mile = 1795/3000 = 0.60p
For the (upcoming) Land Rover Discovery V8 (based on winter mileage, if I end up choosing to use it year round the mileage will go up to around 8000):
Insurance: 440
Road tax: 215
Depreciation: 0
Petrol (LPG) 5000 miles x 27p = 1350 or 8000 miles x 27p = 2160 (Assuming 12mpg on LPG)
MOT and parts: 500
Total = for 5000 miles: 2505 or for 8000 miles: 3315
Cost per mile for 5000 miles = 2505/5000 = 0.50p Cost per mile for 8000 miles = 3315/8000 = 0.41p
Edited by V8Triumph on Monday 29th October 22:17
I don't keep yearly records, but the overall for my current car (a BMW 330d) is £0.89/mile. My previous car was a BMW 320d, and over its life cost me £0.48/mile. I didn't actually think that was too bad, but clearly I'm missing a trick and/or I didn't drive it enough.
These days I work from home, which makes my new car look very bad in such calculations, even though the cost per mile for fuel and repairs is not that higher for the new one (£0.24/mi) than the old (£0.22/mi).
For comparing car vs bus (sorry, I know this isn't the subject...), I think cost of fuel and repairs per mile is a more useful metric. If you're debating whether to take the car or the bus for a particular journey, you must (a) already have a car, and (b) not have bought it for to do this journey - for otherwise, there'd be no debate. So the bus is competing on cost with these N extra miles driven, given that you already have the car, meaning it's unfair to include any of the fixed costs of owning a car in your calculations.
Based on this metric, for me (4 miles into town = £1 on the bus, with a season ticket type deal, if you use it twice a day on week days) the car just about wins on a £/mile basis, with victory being clearer still if you just buy a single. But the bus becomes the cheaper option the moment you park - I don't think there's any parking in town anywhere for less than about 55p - or, of course, if you use the ticket more often.
These days I work from home, which makes my new car look very bad in such calculations, even though the cost per mile for fuel and repairs is not that higher for the new one (£0.24/mi) than the old (£0.22/mi).
For comparing car vs bus (sorry, I know this isn't the subject...), I think cost of fuel and repairs per mile is a more useful metric. If you're debating whether to take the car or the bus for a particular journey, you must (a) already have a car, and (b) not have bought it for to do this journey - for otherwise, there'd be no debate. So the bus is competing on cost with these N extra miles driven, given that you already have the car, meaning it's unfair to include any of the fixed costs of owning a car in your calculations.
Based on this metric, for me (4 miles into town = £1 on the bus, with a season ticket type deal, if you use it twice a day on week days) the car just about wins on a £/mile basis, with victory being clearer still if you just buy a single. But the bus becomes the cheaper option the moment you park - I don't think there's any parking in town anywhere for less than about 55p - or, of course, if you use the ticket more often.
Re the public transportation comparison, I'm on 18p / mile using the German Railway "go anywhere card" (18k miles a year). Not quite as annoying as it sounds. Still debating if I want to do that in a car again. Somehow tempted, but three hours of Autobahn after a 10 hours plus day is only interesting for so long...
I'm guessing you are all aware that PH will help you track this? Mine is complete in my profile.
S3 is at 43ppm but there is some stuff missing as I didn't have all the receipts when I filled it in.
M3 is probably most accurate however the insurance cost is wrong as it was sold not long after renewing, will have to try and update it. 57ppm
M5 is being completed as I go currently at 79ppm.
Guess I'll be aiming at over a £1pm before long with the M5 when it has it's major service
S3 is at 43ppm but there is some stuff missing as I didn't have all the receipts when I filled it in.
M3 is probably most accurate however the insurance cost is wrong as it was sold not long after renewing, will have to try and update it. 57ppm
M5 is being completed as I go currently at 79ppm.
Guess I'll be aiming at over a £1pm before long with the M5 when it has it's major service
Not sure what mine works out too, but my garage on PH says 31p a mile.
Insurance: 220
Road tax: 0
Depreciation: (How much does a 1998 Volvo 940 with 154,000 miles depreciate?)
Petrol 5000 miles (ish. usually put £100 in at payday and that lasts me the month. Around 330 miles per tank or 18-20mpg)
Repairs and MOT: £200 odd for repairs, £30 for MOT
Insurance: 220
Road tax: 0
Depreciation: (How much does a 1998 Volvo 940 with 154,000 miles depreciate?)
Petrol 5000 miles (ish. usually put £100 in at payday and that lasts me the month. Around 330 miles per tank or 18-20mpg)
Repairs and MOT: £200 odd for repairs, £30 for MOT
James_N said:
Not sure what mine works out too, but my garage on PH says 31p a mile.
Insurance: 220
Road tax: 0
Depreciation: (How much does a 1998 Volvo 940 with 154,000 miles depreciate?)
Petrol 5000 miles (ish. usually put £100 in at payday and that lasts me the month. Around 330 miles per tank or 18-20mpg)
Repairs and MOT: £200 odd for repairs, £30 for MOT
Assuming depreciation is say £100 cos it's an old car and 18-20mpg = 34ppm approx. So it's:Insurance: 220
Road tax: 0
Depreciation: (How much does a 1998 Volvo 940 with 154,000 miles depreciate?)
Petrol 5000 miles (ish. usually put £100 in at payday and that lasts me the month. Around 330 miles per tank or 18-20mpg)
Repairs and MOT: £200 odd for repairs, £30 for MOT
220+0+100+(0.34 X 5000)+230= 2250
2250/5000 = 45p per mile
I actually have this already displayed on my spreadsheet 
For the E46, it's 78p/mile, which is skewed a little by being in only over five months' ownership so far. Naturally, it'll walk down nicely as the miles add up! The cost per mile in fuel alone is almost exactly 20p
The Audi cost me 68p/mile over 11000 miles and two and a half years, but over two grand of that would be insurance, and the BMW is a nice improvement in fuel economy so I hope to see 50p or less in time!
For the E46, it's 78p/mile, which is skewed a little by being in only over five months' ownership so far. Naturally, it'll walk down nicely as the miles add up! The cost per mile in fuel alone is almost exactly 20p
The Audi cost me 68p/mile over 11000 miles and two and a half years, but over two grand of that would be insurance, and the BMW is a nice improvement in fuel economy so I hope to see 50p or less in time!
focusdriver said:
If anyone is approaching or exceeds the £1 per mile mark you may as well be using a taxi right?
You are aware that this is a site for people that like cars and driving, right?I'm happy to spend £1 per mile as long as I don't have to do a lot of miles, the killer with the S3 was the number of miles I was doing at the time.
nonuts said:
focusdriver said:
If anyone is approaching or exceeds the £1 per mile mark you may as well be using a taxi right?
You are aware that this is a site for people that like cars and driving, right?I'm happy to spend £1 per mile as long as I don't have to do a lot of miles, the killer with the S3 was the number of miles I was doing at the time.
Insurance = 915
Milage 2012 = 1100
Major service = 13,950
Repairs = 730
Petrol = 350
About 14,5 euro/mile
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