Motorcycle running cost:
what a kilometre costs next to a car's

Two machines, one kilometre

A motorbike wins on fuel before you have even started the sum. It moves roughly a quarter of the vehicle weight a car does, with a much smaller engine, and typically covers three to four times as many kilometres per litre. The question is how much of that advantage survives once you count the other costs, and how it changes when the trip carries more than one person.

The method matches the one used for cars: split every cost over the distance. What changes is the size of each piece. Servicing is smaller and more frequent, tyres are cheaper but wear faster, and a bike loses value in absolute rupees much more slowly than a car, even if the percentage loss is similar.

The example below uses assumed prices for a commuter motorcycle and compares it with the car worked out in the neighbouring guide. Replace each input with figures from your own bills.

It also helps to be clear about what the number is for. A cost per kilometre is a planning tool: it lets you price a trip before you leave, share the bill fairly with a friend, or decide whether a second vehicle earns its place. It is not a promise about what the next fill-up will cost, because petrol prices, traffic and your own riding style move the fuel part from week to week.

Cost per km for the bike, line by line

Notice that the fixed items are small. Insurance and depreciation together come to ₹1.25 per km, against ₹8.33 per km for the car in the same example. A bike is therefore forgiving of low use: even at 5,000 km a year the all-in cost per km stays modest, while a car's climbs steeply.

The same 600 km trip, bike against car

For a one-off trip, the question to ask is what the trip adds to your bills. Insurance and depreciation are paid anyway, though a long trip does wear the vehicle faster. Two sensible comparisons are the cash cost, which is the variable part only, and the full cost per km.

On cash alone the bike saves ₹3,923 on the trip. On full cost the gap is ₹8,173. Whichever you use, the bike's cost per km is under a third of the car's in this example.

A monthly commute, in rupees

Trip costs are lumpy, so it helps to see a routine journey as a monthly bill. Take a 15 km ride to work and back, which is 30 km a day, on 22 working days.

Over a year that difference is large enough to pay for the bike's servicing and insurance several times over, which is why two-wheelers dominate daily commuting in cities with congested roads. The saving also grows with petrol prices, since fuel is the largest variable item.

Per person, the answer can flip

Cost per km per vehicle ignores the number of people on board. A rider with one pillion splits the bike's cash cost to ₹1.21 per person per km. A car with four adults splits ₹8.97 to ₹2.24 per person, and on the full-cost basis to ₹4.33.

That is why families of four usually take the car even if the bike is cheaper per kilometre: the car is cheaper per seat and safer and more comfortable on a long journey. For a solo commuter or a couple, the bike wins by a wide margin.

Costs a per-km figure leaves out

A per-km figure also assumes the machine is in good order. Skipping servicing makes the mileage drop and the chain wear faster, and the saving shows up later as a bigger repair bill. Keep the air filter, chain and tyre pressure in order, and the mileage you assumed will be close to what you get.

• Tolls: two-wheelers are exempt on many expressways, which can be a large saving over a car on a long route.
• Riding gear and luggage: helmets, rain protection and a tank bag are not in the per-km cost but are part of a long-distance bike trip.
• Breaks and accommodation: a bike is tiring on long days, so a 600 km ride may take two days where a car takes one, which adds a night's stay.
• Weather and safety: heavy rain and night riding raise risk, and the cost saving must be weighed against that.
• Wear: a long trip puts extra load on the chain, tyres and brake pads, so budget for earlier replacement.

When you compare your own bike with someone else's, adjust for engine size as well. A 350 cc cruiser at 35 km/l has fuel of ₹2.86 per km and heavier servicing and depreciation, so its full cost can be well above the commuter bike here, though still below most cars.