E2U RideYou are driving the journey either way. The question is what comes back. Choose your car and your usual trip below and the figures follow your own numbers rather than an average.
Medium sedan, 20 shared miles, 1 Guest, 3 out of your way each
| Miles you actually drive | 23 |
| What the drive costs you | $16.18 |
| Each Guest, their share of the shared stretch | $7.04 |
| Each Guest, the whole cost of their own detour | $2.11 |
| Each Guest contributes | $9.15 |
| Card processing, off your share | −$0.27 |
| Reaches your bank | $8.88 |
| The share of the drive you still carry | $7.30 |
| Those miles at the pump | $4.00 |
Over 10 shared legs a week
| Reaches your bank, a month | $385 |
| Fuel for the same miles, a month | $173 |
| The difference | $211 |
A detour is not divided. The Guest who asked to be collected pays the whole cost of the miles that exist only because they asked, which is what makes going out of your way worth doing rather than a favor. A Guest who walks to your route pays less and you drive less, and the page above will show you both.
Fuel is only one of the six things a mile costs you. The rest is depreciation, financing, insurance, licensing and taxes, and maintenance and tires, and those miles are spending all of it whether a Guest is in the car or not. What reaches your bank goes against that, which is why it can be more than your fuel bill while the drive still costs you money overall. You also always carry a share of the drive yourself: on this trip, $7.30.
Every car, the same trip
20 shared miles one way, 1 Guest, 3 miles out of the way each, 10 shared legs a week.
| Car | A mile | Your bank, a month | Fuel, a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small sedan | $0.6173 | $338 | $158 |
| Hybrid | $0.6800 | $372 | $104 |
| Medium sedan | $0.7037 | $385 | $173 |
| Subcompact SUV | $0.7168 | $392 | $186 |
| Compact SUV | $0.7780 | $426 | $200 |
| Midsize pickup | $0.8726 | $478 | $248 |
| Electric | $0.9110 | $498 | $51 |
| Medium SUV | $0.9632 | $527 | $226 |
| Half ton pickup | $1.1000 | $602 | $274 |
Why a pickup costs more a mile than a sedan
The rate is not a fuel number. It is what a mile genuinely costs on that class of car, and E2U takes it from AAA's published figures rather than choosing one. Six things go into it:
| Depreciation The value the car loses by being driven. AAA calls it the single biggest cost of owning one, and it follows what the car cost new, which is why a half ton pickup costs nearly double a small sedan a mile. |
| Financing The interest on the loan. Also follows the price of the car. |
| Insurance Higher on heavier and dearer vehicles. |
| Licensing, registration and taxes Mostly a function of what the vehicle is worth and what it weighs. |
| Maintenance, repairs and tires Pickup and SUV tires cost considerably more and wear out sooner. |
| Fuel The smallest of the six, and the only one you feel every week. |
Depreciation is the biggest of the six and it follows what the car cost new, which is most of why a half ton pickup is close to double a small sedan a mile. It is also why an electric car has a high rate while costing very little to charge: an EV loses value and costs to insure like an expensive car, because it is one.
Where these numbers come from, and where they stop
The cost of a mile is AAA's Your Driving Costs, at 15,000 miles a year, the same table the Shared Cost Engine uses to work out a real contribution. Fuel is priced at premium, the dearest grade, at $5.2208 a gallon (AAA national average, 17 Oct 2026). If you fill up on regular you are better off than this page says, never worse.
AAA publishes the cost of a mile but not the economy behind each class, so the fuel column uses typical combined economy for the class rather than an AAA figure. Your own car and your own pump price will move it. What reaches your bank does not depend on it at all.
Every row assumes the seat fills. One Guest on half your legs is half the figure, and no pricing rule can mend an empty car.
Share my direction How a contribution is worked outSomebody is going your way
One account, a minute to make. Sharing a trip costs you nothing, and joining one costs only your share.