How to use the toll vs free route calculator
- Enter the distance, driving time and tolls for the toll route, and the distance and driving time for the free route.
- Enter your fuel economy and the fuel price. The values shown are examples.
- Enter what an hour of your time is worth to you. Use 0 to compare cash costs only.
- Read the cash cost of each route, the time the toll saves and the break-even value of an hour.
Formula
Fuel cost = distance / mpg x fuel price
Cash cost = fuel cost + tolls
Time cost = minutes / 60 x value of an hour
Break-even value of an hour = extra cash for the toll route / hours saved
If paying the toll costs more in cash and saves time, the break-even tells you how much an hour must be worth for the toll to be worth paying.
A 6.50 dollar toll that saves 22 minutes
The toll route is 48 miles and 50 minutes. At 28 mpg and $3.50 a gallon its fuel is $6.00, so cash cost is $12.50. The free route is 55 miles and 72 minutes, so fuel is $6.88, and its cash cost is $6.88. The toll route costs $5.63 more in cash and saves 22 minutes, so the break-even is 5.625 / (22 / 60) = $15.34 per hour. If an hour of your time is worth $20, the toll route totals $29.17 against $30.88 and wins by $1.71.
A $12 toll on a route of 20 miles and 25 minutes versus a free 24 miles and 35 minutes at 30 mpg, $4 gas and $15 an hour costs $20.92 against $11.95, so the free route wins by $8.97, and the break-even is $68.80 an hour.
Cash is only part of it
The cheapest route in cash is not always the best one. A faster route can save more than it costs when you are paid by the hour, run late, or just value your evening. The break-even value of an hour lets you decide for yourself without telling you what your time should be worth: if you would pay more than that per hour to save the time, take the toll. If the toll route is shorter in miles, it can be cheaper in cash as well, and the tool then says so.
For a daily drive, the Commute Time Cost Calculator puts a price on the whole commute. The Fuel Cost Calculator and the MPG Calculator go deeper on fuel.
Getting realistic numbers
Take driving times from a map app at the time of day you drive, because traffic can erase the time a toll road saves. Use the actual toll for your vehicle and payment method, and remember that fuel economy changes with speed and stop-and-go driving. If the free route has a long slow section, its time may be longer than the app says on a bad day. Enter the figures for a normal day and for a bad day and compare. For a long drive, the Road Trip Time Calculator adds up the whole trip.
Assumptions and limits
- Both routes use the same fuel economy and fuel price. The values shown are examples.
- The value of an hour is your own figure and is applied to the whole trip time.
- Tolls are the total for the trip and are added once.
- The numbers stay in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
How do I decide if a toll road is worth it?
Work out how much extra cash the toll route costs and how many hours it saves, then divide. If you would pay more than that for an hour, the toll is worth it. The page shows this break-even value.
What should I enter as the value of an hour?
Use a figure that reflects your own time, such as your hourly pay or what you would pay to save an hour. Enter 0 to compare cash only. The 20 dollars shown is an example.
Can the toll route be cheaper in cash?
Yes, if it is much shorter in miles. The page then says the toll route costs less in cash too, and there is no break-even to reach.
What if the toll route is slower?
It shows how many minutes slower it is and says no time is saved, so the break-even does not apply.