A Fuelly Year On

Last year I started to record my vehicle fuel consumption on a regular basis via the website Fuelly. Last week I completed a full year's worth of motoring having recorded all mileages and fuel purchases. Well, what have I learnt?

I suppose the first thing which surprised me is how consistent my fuel consumption is. It was slightly higher in the Summer and lower during the Winter months but, over the year, I have managed a fairly respectable 52.5 mpg. However, this has equated to a quite astonishing £1,361.57 over that year. In terms of running the car I also have to add in around £180 for insurance, £125 for tax and numerous maintenance bills (for the period covered I would estimate that this came to £400). I would also have to add in the extended warrantee costs which come in at around £280 but which has proven to be well worth the money in the circumstances and which also includes the full AA package. There is also depreciation to take into account but this now appears to be down to around £600 per year.

The question is, could I reduce this amount? In terms of driving style, I don’t think there is too much else I could do safely. However, one thing that may be worth bearing in mind is whether a different fuel would have helped. There is no diesel equivalent for my car but the replacement model did have a diesel engine which is claimed to return an impressive 63mpg. Compared to the official 51mpg of my car and at current prices this would result in a £180 saving in fuel costs. That's not an amount to be sniffed at but the higher cost of the diesel models (up to £1000 more) and the tendencies for modern diesels to go hideously and expensively wrong compared to their petrol equivalents probably evens things up - and I really don't want to put up with that noise on a model of car which isn't the greatest for screening out noise.

The other interesting comparison is how much taking the train would cost instead. The main reason for actually having this car is to get to work. My office cannot be reached on foot so, even with a free shuttle bus to the station, it is not entirely practical to use public transport. However, if I did, it would cost me a pretty hefty £2,132.00 and involve a journey of around an hour and a half each way at best. If I was still working in Glasgow or Edinburgh the cost would be £1,668.00 or £1,840.00 respectively. It's not cheap but the journey time is much less and the cost of parking in either city is high enough to justify the fare alone. On top of that it's no fun driving into the big cities so the train starts looking far more attractive. If I was still city based I would probably not bother with the small car at all.

I think both car and public transport have their advantages: the train gives me some quality reading time and the car allows me to indulge my musical adventures. However, when looking at the figures, it is surprising at just how much it costs to work!