How much will the holiday cost us, depending on the car and the type of engine?

With fuel prices skyrocketing and the summer’s first major “exit operation” approaching, it’s a good idea to do some numbers before we embark on our road trip to know how much of the budget we’re going to spend on our travels. to burn.

To carry out this exercise, we took as an example different types of vehicles, by segment and by mechanics, and calculated an average of 600 km traveled by road between a starting point and a summer destination. All this taking into account an average price of the different fuels,
€2,151/l petrol 96the average of
€2,085/l for diesel Aa rate during this week of
1.035 for LPGand an average of
€0.351 per kWh In the case of electricity, it is difficult to make an average, since the costs depend on the contracted rate, on whether we charge at home in a vehicle, or whether we resort instead to a quick public recharge, in in that case, the rate can be reduced at the cost of shortening the time to recover 80% of the charge.

Also, we have not made the estimated consumption calculations for a plug-in hybrid vehicle, as the averages offered correspond to the WLTP protocol, which does not apply to a 600 km road and highway trip. The approved average consumption of this type of car is usually around 1.5 l/100 km, but the WLTP measurements are carried out over 30 minutes in three phases: 589 seconds at low speed; 433 seconds at medium speed, 455 seconds at high speed and 323 seconds at very high speed.

In the case of a holiday trip, the largest percentage of the trip is done at medium/high speed, causing the WLTP readings to be biased. In practice, with a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and once the battery is empty (about 50 km of autonomy in electric mode), the average consumption can easily reach about 11 or 12 l/100 km, since these types of cars when they are really efficient in urban environments. The budget to do 600 km can quickly rise to about 137 euros (0.229 euros per kilometre). The high consumption on the highway is compensated by the high efficiency in daily journeys.

With this property, going on holiday with a petrol hybrid city car, with an average consumption of 5.1 l/100 km (Fiat Panda, Suzuki Ignis, Mitsubishi Space Star or similar) with about 60-90 hp power, it will cost about 0.109 euros per kilometre. This means that with 65.4 euros we would have enough to travel the planned 600 km to our destination.

If we go one level up because we have a compact model (Seat Ibiza, VW Polo, Renault Clio, Opel Corsa, Citroën c3, Peugeot 208 and the like), we will not notice too many differences, although we have more powerful variants such as we enjoy better benefits, our wallet will notice too. If the car is petrol, the average consumption is around 5.1 l/100 km, so with petrol of € 2,151 we invest € 0.109 per kilometer.

Again the budget will be approximately € 65.4. If our car is diesel, we keep the environmental label C (green) from the DGT, but the average consumption drops somewhat, to about 4.1 l/100 km. It compensates for diesel through consumption, because at a price of € 2.085/l we spend € 0.085 per kilometer. In other words, with 51 euros we have enough to cover the planned 600 km.

The bills are better if our car is LPG, or petrol and we have adapted it for this type of fuel (the conversion can cost us about 1,000 euros, and with that we get the ECO badge from the DGT). The price of LPG is € 1.035, – and with an average consumption of 3.9 kilos of gas per 100 km (this is what the 100 hp Renault Clio homologates) we get a price of 0.040 euros per kilometer. In other words, with 24.2 euros we had covered the budget for the trip. In this case, it would be useful to make sure that we have a gas station with an LPG dispenser on the route or at the destination, because in the opposite case we would have to move with gasoline, with the corresponding consumption figures.

The electric variant in this segment consumes an average of 15.6 kWh/100 km. At a price of €0.351 per kWh, the investment in electricity would be €0.054/km, or what is the same, €32.4 for the total 600 kilometres. Although this figure is quite fictitious, because with an electric range of around 300 km, which can be just over 200 on the road and highway, it will be necessary to make at least two stops to recharge. The price will then depend on the operator and the type of charging, in addition to the time we have to invest in finding a charger that works or is not busy. Given the current charging infrastructure in Spain, the journey can be a stressful and boring adventure.

If we do the same exercise for a five-door sedan (such as Renault Mégane, Seat León, VW Golf, Ford Focus, Peugeot 308), in addition to enjoying a larger size and better performance during the trip, the expenses will not skyrocket, as we will see with the calculated means. With a petrol car, the average consumption is around 5.5 l/100 km, with the kilometer cost being 0.118 euros. With just over 70 euros we reach our destination 600 km away.

If our car is diesel, with a consumption of 4.6 l/100 km, the budget will be 0.096 euros per kilometer, a total of 57 euros for diesel for 600 km.

Electrically, consumption is about 15.3 kWh/100 km, that is 0.053 euros per kilometer, and a total of 31.8 euros for 600 km, if we could reach the destination with the first charge in our house, something completely impossible . Again, we will rely on the availability of charging points along the route, but it is impossible to calculate the charging costs.

Finally, if we have one of the cars in the most fashionable segment, the SUV, these are the indicative figures that we have obtained: in a petrol car, with an average consumption of 6.2 l/100 km, we would per kilometer, that is a total of 79.8 euros.

If our family is Crossover diesel, consumption is reduced to about 4.9 l/100 km and the kilometer costs remain 0.102 euros. A total of 61 euros for travel from our home to our destination.

The LPG models also benefit from this. A car like the Dacia Jogger, with 7 seats, has an average consumption of 4.4 k/100 km LPG. The investment in the route would therefore amount to 0.044 euros per kilometre. Multiplying this, we get a total of 26.4 euros to cover the 600 planned kilometers.

Our final exercise takes us to an electric family sedan. Although they currently represent a very small percentage of sales in Spain, it is helpful for us to have an idea of ​​what it could cost us to travel in a vehicle of this type, given the electric future that awaits us. A model like the KIA EV6, with 170 hp and a range of 394 km, homologates a consumption of 16.6 kWh/100 km. With 5.82 euros we would travel 100 km with an average domestic rate of 0.351 €/kWh. So the total would be just under 35 euros to cover the 600 kilometers at the start of our holiday.

Source: La Verdad

Ida

I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.