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Car vs bike calculator

The same commute by car and by bike differ in carbon, money and time. Enter your distance, how often you travel it and your car and bike speeds, and the calculator returns the annual emissions, fuel cost, time and calories for each.

Distance per year
3,680
Car emissions per year
680.064
Emissions avoided by cycling per year
680.064
Fuel avoided per year
294.4
Fuel cost avoided per year
$471
Time in the car per year
153.3
Time on the bike per year
204.4
Calories burned per year (kcal)
110,400
What this means
You travel 3680 km a year. The car burns 294 L and emits 680 kg CO2e, costing 471 dollars. Cycling takes 51 hours a year longer and burns about 110400 kcal. The calorie figure is food energy, not an emission saving; only the tailpipe is counted as avoided.

Estimates for information only. Not financial, medical, legal or engineering advice. See the Terms.

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How this calculator works

A car burns fuel in proportion to distance and fuel economy, and each litre of petrol releases about 2.31 kg of carbon dioxide; diesel is about 2.68 kg. Cycling uses no fuel at the tailpipe, so its direct emissions are zero, but the rider does eat more, and that food has a footprint the calculator deliberately leaves out of the saved column. The time comparison is the distance divided by the average speed. Congestion is the hidden factor: a car that averages 14 km/h through rush-hour traffic takes longer than a bicycle at 18 km/h over the same route, even though it can go much faster on an open road. The calculator uses the speeds you enter, so set the car speed to your real average rather than the speed limit.

Formula

distance per year (km) = one-way distance x 2 x commuting days per week x weeks per year. fuel (L) = distance per year / 100 x litres per 100 km. emissions (kg CO2e) = fuel x 2.31 for petrol or 2.68 for diesel. money saved = fuel x price per litre. time (h) = distance per year / average speed. calories = distance per year x 30 kcal per km.

Worked example

An 8 km one-way commute, 5 days a week, 46 weeks a year is 8 x 2 x 5 x 46 = 3,680 km. A car at 8 L/100 km burns 294.4 L, which costs $471 at $1.60 per litre and emits 294.4 x 2.31 = 680 kg CO2e. At 24 km/h the car takes 153 hours; at 18 km/h the bike takes 204 hours, 51 hours more. Cycling burns about 110,400 kcal over the year.

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Frequently asked questions

Does cycling really have zero emissions?

Not quite. The bicycle has a manufacturing footprint, the rider eats more food, and the food has emissions. A bike is still an order of magnitude lower than a car per kilometre, even after counting the extra food, because a bicycle is so light and efficient.

What if I switch to an electric car?

The tailpipe emissions fall to zero, but the electricity has emissions and the battery adds to manufacturing. On a low-carbon grid such as Quebec or British Columbia an electric car is very low-carbon; on a coal-heavy grid the saving is smaller.

Is it faster to bike in traffic?

Often, for short urban trips. At an average car speed of 14 km/h and a cycling speed of 18 km/h, the bike is quicker door to door, before parking and walking. Enter your real averages to see which wins on your route.

What about rain, winter and cargo?

The calculation is about the annual average, not every day. Many people cycle in good weather and drive in winter. Enter the share of days you would actually cycle to see a realistic saving; the calculator uses the same days for both modes.

Sources

Written byAmira MansourCalculator writer. Builds and tests Mathulate calculators against published sources.
Reviewed byMarc LefebvreMathematics teacher. Checks each formula and worked example by hand.

Last updated .

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