MyCiti card, car keys, coffee. However you get to work, the cost is easier to compare when you write down the full month instead of one trip.
Use a normal month, not your best week
Count the days you actually drive to work and multiply them by your return distance. Add regular school runs or client visits if they are part of the routine. A month with public holidays will flatter the number, so use one that looks ordinary.
Work from your car’s real fuel consumption
The figure on the brochure was measured under controlled conditions. Your trip may include cold starts, the crawl onto Hospital Bend or half an hour looking for parking. Use the consumption shown by your car over several tanks if you can. Keep the slips for a month and the maths becomes much less theoretical.
Give tyres and services a monthly share
A set of tyres does not arrive every month, which is why it is easy to leave out. Take the expected replacement cost and spread it across the months you expect the tyres to last. Do the same with scheduled services, licence renewal and predictable maintenance. It won’t be exact, but it will be useful.
Now compare the alternatives
Put the total next to the cost of public transport, a lift club or working from home on some days. Also note the time each option takes. The cheapest route on paper is not always the one you will stick with, especially when winter rain turns a simple connection into a soggy mission.
Insurance products and circumstances differ. Check current policy wording and get appropriately authorised help when you need a recommendation for your situation.
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