Automotive
Trip fuel and charging costs, real consumption, child car seat rules, stopping distances, new driver probation and winter tyre rules abroad.
- Child car seat checkerIn Great Britain a child needs a car seat until 12 years of age or 135 cm in height, whichever comes first, on the front and the back seats.
- Fuel cost calculatorWork out what a UK car journey costs in petrol, diesel or electricity from miles, economy and price, split it between passengers, or measure your real mpg.
- New driver probation checkerEnter a first test pass date and any offences to see when UK new driver probation ends, whether the points revoke the licence, and NI R plate dates.
- Stopping distance calculatorThinking, braking and overall stopping distance at any speed in mph, by the Highway Code diagram or physics, on dry, wet or icy roads, in metres and feet.
- Winter tyre laws in EuropeCheck whether tyres, chains or snow socks meet the winter rules of France, Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and ten more countries on a given date.
What the motoring tools here work out
The Automotive tools start from the question most drivers actually ask: what will this journey cost? The fuel cost calculator takes the distance in miles, your car's miles per gallon and the pump price per litre, then gives the fuel burned and the cost, one way or there and back. Add the number of people in the car and it splits the bill evenly.
- Petrol or diesel: miles per imperial gallon, converted to litres because forecourts price by the litre.
- Electric: miles per kWh and a tariff in pence per kWh, for charging at home or anywhere else you know the rate.
- Fill-up mode: brim the tank twice and it measures the economy your car really achieves.
Child car seats: the rules for each journey
The child car seat checker answers a question about the passengers rather than the fuel: does this child still need a car seat? In Great Britain a child uses one until reaching 12 years or 135 cm, whichever comes first. The checker also covers taxis, unexpected journeys and a third child with no room for another seat.
Enter the age, height, weight, seat and situation. The result says whether a child seat is required, whether the front seat is allowed with that seat and airbag setting, and what a breach costs: a £100 fixed penalty, or up to £500 in court.
Stopping distances at any speed
The stopping distance calculator adds thinking distance to braking distance for any speed. It follows the Highway Code diagram, where the overall figure at 30 mph is 23 m, or a physics formula with your own reaction time, road surface and gradient. Enter the distance ahead and it shows whether the car stops in time and, if not, the impact speed.
Thinking distance grows in step with speed, while braking distance grows with its square, which is why the total climbs much faster than the speed itself. In the Highway Code mode, rain and ice stretch the whole distance as the Code describes; in the physics mode only the grip of the road changes, so only braking grows. The calculator models a car, not a lorry, a motorcycle or a bicycle.
New drivers: the probationary period
The new driver probation checker dates the end of the New Drivers Act period: 2 years beginning with the day of your first pass. Add the dates and points of any offences, provisional licence ones included, and it shows whether they reach the 6 points that revoke a new licence. Northern Ireland's R plate rules are covered too.
The date an offence was committed decides, not the date of the conviction or the day a fixed penalty is accepted. Revocation is automatic once the limit is reached, and the driver returns to a provisional licence and takes the theory and practical tests again. No new probationary period follows the retest. In Great Britain, P plates and the Pass Plus course are voluntary and leave the dates unchanged.
Winter tyres and snow chains abroad
The winter tyre rules checker covers 15 countries for a trip abroad. No UK nation requires winter tyres, but Austria asks for them on snowy roads from 1 November to 15 April, and listed French mountain communes from 1 November to 31 March. Pick the country, date, road, vehicle and tyres, and it says whether the set-up meets the rule there.
It also checks the tread depth against the country's winter minimum, whether snow chains or socks count, whether studded tyres are allowed on that date, and the fine. A table repeats the answer for every covered country, which helps on a route through several.
Where the starting prices and taxes come from
The petrol and diesel prices filled in for you are UK averages from the government's weekly road fuel price statistics (DESNZ), for the week of 21 September 2026. The electricity rate is the Ofgem price cap unit rate for 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026. Fuel duty is a fixed amount per litre (HMRC), and VAT is charged on top of the price including duty, so at the average unleaded price about 47% of what you pay is tax.
Averages date quickly, and a local forecourt can sit well above or below them. Every figure is only a starting value: type over it with the price on the pump or your own tariff. How the averages are chosen and checked is set out in the methodology, and the tool page lists each source with the date it was verified.
Reading the result
Any fuel cost here is an estimate. Real consumption shifts with speed, traffic, cold starts, load, tyre pressure and the weather. A measured figure from the fill-up mode is usually closer to your own driving than the manufacturer's official number.
The cost per mile covers fuel or electricity only, not insurance, servicing, tyres or depreciation. The page explains these rates; it does not say what anyone should claim or charge.