It’s not rocket science to figure out that a vehicle that gets more miles to the gallon saves money, but seeing the numbers really drives it home. To get a feel for a variety of commute scenarios, the costing examples below show how much money is spent putting $4-per-gallon gas in a car that gets 20 miles per gallon (mpg), a hybrid car that averages 46 mpg, and a couple of different scooters (60 mpg and 100 mpg) using a variety of commute distances. The prices per month vary because some months have four weeks and some have five. A cost-per-year amount can be calculated by multiplying the weekly cost by 52 (to be more precise, the number of weeks spent on vacation could be subtracted). The total cost would of course vary depending on how many days per year a scooter would be used to commute.

commute is 10 miles round trip x 5-day work week = 50 miles

20 mpg car = 2.5 gallons x $4 gallon = $10.00/week = $40.00 to $50.00/month
46 mpg hybrid car = 1.09 gallons x $4 gallon = $4.35/week = $17.40 to $21.75
60 mpg scooter = .83 gallons x $4 gallon = $3.33/week = $13.33 to $16.65/month
100 mpg scooter = .5 gallons x $4 gallon = $2.00/week = $8.00 to $10.00/month

commute is 40 miles round trip x 5-day work week = 200 miles

20 mpg car = 10 gallons x $4 gallon = $40.00/week = $160.00 to $200.00/month
46 mpg hybrid car = 4.35 gallons x $4 gallon = $17.40/week = $69.60 to $87.00/month
60 mpg scooter = 3.33 gallons x $4 gallon = $13.33/week = $53.32 to $66.65/month
100 mpg scooter = 2 gallons x $4 gallon = $8.00/week = $36.00 to $42.00/month

commute is 60 miles round trip x 5-day work week = 300 miles

20 mpg car = 15 gallons x $4 gallon = $60.00/week = $240.00 to $300.00/month
46 mpg hybrid car = 6.52 gallons x $4 gallon = $26.09/week = $104.35 to $130.44/month
60 mpg scooter = 5 gallons x $4 gallon = $20.00/week = $80.00 to $100.00/month
100 mpg scooter = 3 gallons x $4 gallon = $12.00/week = $48.00 to $60.00/month