Car vs Bike Calculator

It depends on traffic and your cycling speed. In heavy rush-hour traffic, a car crawling at 14 km/h can actually be slower than a cyclist doing 15–20 km/h on the same route. This calculator compares both travel times side-by-side so you can see exactly where the time difference lies for your specific commute.

An average modern petrol car emits roughly 170–200 g of CO₂ per kilometre. Older petrol and diesel vehicles can emit 220 g/km or more, while hybrids drop to around 90–120 g/km. Electric vehicles have near-zero direct tailpipe emissions, though upstream electricity generation still carries a carbon cost.

A single mature tree absorbs approximately 21 kg of CO₂ per year. This calculator divides your total projected CO₂ savings by 21 to give you an intuitive sense of the environmental impact — essentially, how many trees would need to grow for a year to offset the same amount of carbon you'd save by cycling.

Savings depend on your fuel efficiency, fuel price, and how often you commute. A driver covering 10 km each way, 5 days a week, at 8 L/100km and $1.60/L spends roughly $665 per year on fuel alone — before parking, maintenance, or depreciation. Cycling eliminates most of that cost.

A casual urban cyclist typically averages 12–16 km/h including stops. A moderately fit commuter can sustain 18–22 km/h. Using a cycling app like Strava or your phone's GPS for a few rides will give you a reliable personal average to plug into this calculator.

Hybrids still emit CO₂, just less of it, so cycling beats them on direct emissions. EVs have zero tailpipe emissions but their electricity comes from a grid that may use fossil fuels. Beyond CO₂, cycling also avoids tyre and brake particulates, reduces road congestion, and adds healthy physical activity — benefits no car can match.

Driving burns around 50–60 kcal per hour (light mental effort). Cycling at a comfortable 15 km/h burns roughly 400–600 kcal per hour depending on your weight. The calculator estimates your additional calorie burn based on your body weight and the time you'd spend cycling versus sitting in a car.

Enter your real one-way trip distance, the traffic conditions you typically face, your actual car's fuel consumption, and your honest cycling speed. Then extend the projection to 5 or 10 years to see how small daily choices compound into significant CO₂ savings, health gains, and financial benefits over time.