Transparent estimate
How the commute math works
Annual miles = one-way miles × 2 × commute days per week × commuting weeks per year.
Fuel cost = annual miles ÷ MPG × price per gallon.
Estimated annual total = fuel + daily parking/tolls + user-entered wear allowance.
Worked example
A 12-mile one-way trip, five days a week for 48 weeks, creates 5,760 round-trip miles a year. At 28 MPG and $3.40 per gallon, fuel is about $699. Five dollars of parking or tolls per workday adds $1,200. A 12-cent-per-mile wear allowance adds about $691. The combined planning estimate is roughly $2,590 per year, before costs the tool does not include.
What is not automatically included
The calculator does not automatically add loan payments, lease costs, insurance, registration, vehicle taxes, depreciation, financing interest, time in traffic, transit fares, or unexpected repairs. Some of those costs exist even if you commute less. Others change with miles. Keep them separate unless you are comparing complete transportation choices.
Use a realistic number of weeks
Using 52 weeks often overstates work travel because vacations, holidays, illness, and remote days interrupt the routine. Count the weeks you actually expect to travel. If your schedule changes seasonally, run a low and high scenario instead of pretending one number is exact.
Electric vehicles and transit
This version uses gasoline MPG and cannot accurately price an electric vehicle. For an EV, calculate trip miles, multiply by the vehicle's kWh per mile, and then apply your charging rate while accounting for charging losses. For transit, compare your actual fare or pass with parking and first/last-mile expenses.