How much does carpooling save?

Sharing a ride splits the fuel and running costs across the people in the car, so each person pays a fraction of driving alone. The more riders, the bigger the saving per person.

What costs does carpooling split?

Mainly fuel, and you can include a share of running costs like wear and depreciation. Parking, if shared, can be split too. This calculator splits the commute cost across riders.

Is carpooling worth it?

Financially it can save a lot over a year, especially on longer commutes, and it reduces wear on each car if you rotate drivers. The saving shown here is the financial side.

Carpooling Savings Calculator

This calculator shows how much you save by carpooling, splitting fuel and running costs across riders. You enter the distance, costs and number sharing, and it shows your share and the saving against driving alone, making the case for sharing a commute concrete.

Round-trip distance (km/day)

Days per week

Fuel use (L/100km)

Fuel price ($/L)

People sharing (incl you)

your saving per year by carpooling

Driving alone (per year)$0

Your share carpooling

This splits the fuel cost across the riders. If you rotate who drives, you also share the wear on each car. Adding running costs would increase the saving from sharing. Prices change, so use current figures. Estimate only.

How it works

The calculator works out the annual fuel cost of the commute from the distance, fuel use, fuel price and days driven. Driving alone, you pay all of it; carpooling, you split it across the people sharing, so your share is the total divided by the number of riders. The saving is the difference, which grows with longer commutes and more people in the car.

Worked example

A 50 km round trip 5 days a week at 8 litres per 100 km and $2.80 a litre costs about $2,912 a year in fuel. Shared between 3 people, your share is about $971, saving you roughly $1,941 a year compared with driving alone.

Related calculators

Fuel Cost Calculator: fuel for a trip.
Petrol vs Public Transport Calculator: drive or bus.
Vehicle Running Cost Calculator: full running cost.
Bill Split Calculator: split any cost.

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