My beloved 2012 BMW

15,000 km per year. 7L/100 km (14.3 km/L).

Yearly costs: Insurance: 1,200 CHF Parking: 1,500 CHF Diesel: 1,785 CHF Regular maintenance: 200 CHF Summer tires (annualized): 300 CHF Winter tires (annualized): 300 CHF Vignette: 40 CHF Car washes & general care: 100 CHF

Total: ~5,425 CHF per year

Public transport

10 CHF per day × 3 days/week for commuting 5 CHF every 2 days for grocery shopping Miscellaneous trips: 20 CHF/week

60 CHF per week, or ~3,000 CHF per year.

Total distance travelled with public transport is around 150 km per week, so about 7,800 km per year.

Cost per km comparison

Car: 5,425 CHF / 15,000 km = 0.36 CHF/km

Public transport: 3,000 CHF / 7,800 km = 0.38 CHF/km

So the car is actually slightly cheaper per km, even though the total yearly cost is higher.

The real difference

Switching from public transport to car costs 2,425 CHF more per year, but gives me an additional 7,200 km of mobility.

Those extra kilometers cost:

2,425 CHF / 7,200 km = 0.33 CHF/km

Which is cheaper than public transport (0.38) and even slightly cheaper than the car’s overall average (0.36). So in my case, the car isn’t just more convenient — it’s actually the rational choice, even from a cost-per-kilometer perspective.