Van Fuel Cost Calculator UK — Transit, Transporter & Sprinter

Real-world MPG for common UK vans

Van	Real-world MPG	Cost per 100 miles*
Ford Transit Custom (2.0 TDCi)	32–36	£19.20–£21.60
VW Transporter T6.1 (2.0 TDI)	30–34	£20.30–£23.00
Mercedes Sprinter (2.1 CDI)	26–30	£23.00–£26.60
Ford Transit L3 (2.0 EcoBlue)	27–31	£22.30–£25.60
Citroen Berlingo / small van	40–48	£14.40–£17.30
Electric van (e-Transit, 2.9 mi/kWh)	—	£8.40 (home charging)

*Diesel at 151.9p per litre. Loaded, urban, or with a roof rack, expect the lower end — or worse.

What actually moves the number

Load. Every extra 100 kg costs roughly 1–2% in fuel; a full fit-out can add 500 kg.
Roof racks and ladder racks. 8–12% at motorway speed. Empty racks still cost fuel.
Short stop-start rounds. A multi-drop day in town is the worst case — 20–25 MPG is normal for a loaded Transit Custom doing 2-mile hops.
Idling. An hour of idling burns about 1–1.5 litres. On a cold morning with the heater on, that is £1.50–£2.30 an hour.
Tyres. Van tyres at the wrong pressure (and vans are often run near the limit) cost 2–4%.

Cost per 1,000 miles — the number to price jobs with

At 32 MPG and 151.9p a litre, 1,000 miles costs about £216 in diesel. If your round is 200 miles a week, that is roughly £187 a month before wear. Add 10p a mile for servicing, tyres and depreciation on a working van and the true running cost is nearer £316 per 1,000 miles — worth knowing before you quote a fixed travel charge.

Claiming van fuel as an expense

For a van used for business you can claim either actual fuel (receipts plus a mileage log) or the simplified mileage rate of 45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles. For a loaded diesel van doing 30 MPG, actual fuel is around 23p a mile, so the simplified rate usually wins once you include wear. Keep the log either way — HMRC expects journeys, dates and mileage.

Is an electric van cheaper to run?

On home or depot charging, an e-Transit at 2.9 miles per kWh costs about 8.4p a mile against 21p for a diesel equivalent — a saving of roughly £126 per 1,000 miles. The catch is payload, range in winter, and public rapid charging at 70–80p per kWh, which wipes out most of the advantage. For fixed local rounds with depot charging, the maths is compelling; for long multi-county work, it usually is not yet.

Common questions

What MPG does a Ford Transit get in real life?

A Transit Custom typically returns 32–36 MPG driven normally, dropping to 24–28 MPG when loaded on urban multi-drop work.

How much does it cost to run a van per mile?

Fuel alone is roughly 20–26p a mile for a diesel van at current prices. Add servicing, tyres and depreciation for a true running cost nearer 30–35p.

Can I claim 45p per mile for a van?

Yes — HMRC's simplified mileage rate is 45p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles in a van, then 25p.

Van Fuel Cost Calculator (UK)