THRIVE Fleet Cost Index
Diesel-van running cost per mile vs electric-van cost per mile, recomputed every Tuesday from official data. Free to use.
Running a diesel van cost 23.09p per mile in the week ending 24 August 2026, 2.46× the 9.4p/mile of an electric van charged at the HMRC split advisory rate (THRIVE Fleet Cost Index).
Cite this
THRIVE Fleet Cost Index, week ending 24 August 2026. thrivefleet.co.uk/data/fleet-cost-index (accessed 1 September 2026).
The Index, weekly
Diesel-to-electric cost ratio
| Category | Value (×) |
|---|---|
| 20 Jul | 2.24× |
| 27 Jul | 2.34× |
| 3 Aug | 2.41× |
| 10 Aug | 2.44× |
| 17 Aug | 2.44× |
| 24 Aug | 2.46× |
Fuel cost per mile
Diesel van vs electric van
| Category | Value (p) |
|---|---|
| Diesel van | 23.09p |
| Electric van | 9.4p |
The Index turns two official numbers — the weekly average diesel pump price and HMRC's advisory electric rate — into the figure a fleet manager actually needs: how much more a diesel van costs to fuel, per mile, than an electric one. A ratio above 1 means diesel is dearer; the higher it climbs, the stronger the running-cost case for electrifying.
Because it is rebuilt every Tuesday from source data, it moves with the pump — not with anyone's marketing. Pair it with the break-even mileage to see how quickly that per-mile saving repays an electric van's price premium.
| Week | Diesel p/mi | EV home | EV public | Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 August 2026 | 23.09 | 7 | 15 | 2.46× |
| 17 August 2026 | 22.9 | 7 | 15 | 2.44× |
| 10 August 2026 | 22.98 | 7 | 15 | 2.44× |
| 3 August 2026 | 22.63 | 7 | 15 | 2.41× |
| 27 July 2026 | 21.97 | 7 | 15 | 2.34× |
| 20 July 2026 | 21.1 | 7 | 15 | 2.24× |
- Diesel van: the DESNZ weekly average UK diesel pump price (pence/litre) × 4.54609 litres/gallon ÷ 36 mpg, our documented representative diesel-LCV combined economy.
- Electric van: the HMRC advisory electric rate, split since June 2026 — 7p/mile home, 15p/mile public.
- Index: diesel pence-per-mile ÷ a blended EV pence-per-mile assuming 70% of charging at the home rate.
Sources: DESNZ weekly road fuel prices and HMRC advisory fuel rates, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. All constants read live from our rates API, never hardcoded.
Figures checked against GOV.UK on 1 September 2026.
Free JSON API — no key, open CORS, cache-friendly:
curl https://www.thrivefleet.co.uk/api/v1/cost-index{ "unit": "pence per mile",
"weeks": [ { "week": "…", "diesel_van_ppm": …, "index_value": … } ] }Attribution is requested, never required — see the data terms and the API guide.
What is the THRIVE Fleet Cost Index?
It is a weekly figure showing how many times more expensive a diesel van is to fuel, per mile, than an electric one — computed from the DESNZ pump price and HMRC's advisory electric rate. This week it is 2.46×.