How much commuting by car costs – per month and per year

With a 20 km commute each way you drive about 840 km a month (21 working days, there and back). In a car that uses 7 l/100 km, petrol at Poland's average price comes to about €109 a month today, and about €1,198 a year (11 working months). At German prices the same month costs about €138. With 40 km each way it is €218 a month at Polish prices.

Commuting cost table

Per month, 21 working days, both ways, at average prices in Poland from 28 September 2026 (converted to euro):

A year is roughly eleven times as much – with 40 km each way, about €2,397 of petrol.

And in an electric car?

An electric car using 17 kWh per 100 km and charged at home costs about €4.27 per 100 km, against €12.97 for petrol at 7 l/100 km. A 20 km commute (840 km a month) takes about 143 kWh – at €0.25/kWh clearly less than €109 of petrol. On fast chargers (€10.88 per 100 km) most of the advantage disappears. We use typical electricity prices – your tariff may differ. More in the cost of a trip by EV.

Sharing the ride pays off

If a colleague drives the same way, the cost is split in half. With 40 km each way on petrol that is €109 instead of €218 a month each, and €72.62 with three people. How to split it fairly when someone rides a shorter distance is covered in splitting fuel costs.

What else changes the cost

• Traffic jams – rush-hour city driving can raise consumption by more than ten percent. Check your real consumption with the fuel consumption calculator.
• Short trips in winter – the engine takes a long time to warm up, so on short trips the car uses noticeably more.
• Business trips in a private car are claimed differently – Polish per-km rates are in the Polish mileage allowance.

Work out your exact commute – from your home address to work – in the calculator, then multiply by the number of working days.