I asked ChatGPT after petrol price hike, which is cheaper for daily Delhi-Gurugram commute — cab or own car?

As petrol and diesel prices have risen roughly by ₹8 per litre since the escalation of the conflict in West Asia — crossing the ₹100 per litre mark in Delhi — I asked ChatGPT, which would be a more affordable means to commute daily to work, driving my own car or hailing a cab.

The ChatGPT prompt

I am a 35-year-old marketing professional. I reside in South Delhi and travel to and from Sector 65, Gurugram daily. The distance is around 30 kilometers but it takes me 1.5 hours to from my house to office at 8.30 am; and it takes me over 2 hours from office to home, if I leave by 5.30pm. The reason for this is excessive traffic congestion in peak hours, especially on Delhi-Gurgugram routes.

If I take a cab both ways (home to office, and office to home), I end up paying an average of ₹1,500-1,600 per day. The bill includes a booking fee of ₹6, tolls and surcharges of ₹100, and a fare of ₹700- ₹800.

On some days, I take my personal hatchback car, which gives a mileage of 15km per litre of petrol in peak traffic. Now that petrol prices have risen by ₹8 per litre in the last 10 days, with petrol crossing ₹100 per litre in Delhi. What's a better way to commute — a cab or drive my own car?

ChatGPT's approximate daily comparison

1) Driving your own car

Round-trip distance: ~60 km

Mileage in traffic: ~15 km/litre

Fuel needed daily: ~4 litres

Petrol cost (@ ₹100/litre): ~ Rs400/day

Now add realistic ownership costs:

• Expense Approx/day
• Fuel ₹400
• Toll/parking ₹100– Rs150
• Maintenance, tyres, servicing, depreciation ₹250– Rs350

Total expense: approximately ₹750– ₹900/day

2) Uber both ways

You already spend:

₹1,500– ₹1,600/day

That is: roughly ₹33,000 – ₹35,000/month

or around ₹4–4.2 lakh/year

Financially: Own car wins comfortably

Even after accounting for:

• higher petrol prices,
• poor mileage in congestion,
• maintenance,
• depreciation,

your hatchback car likely costs 40–50% less than daily cabs.

But the bigger question is fatigue

Your commute is:

• 3.5+ hours daily,
• in NCR peak congestion,
• on one of India’s most stressful corridors.

That changes the equation. Driving yourself costs:

• mental energy,
• attention,
• stress,
• physical fatigue.

At 35, doing this five days a week can become more draining than the fuel bill suggests.

A cab ride buys:

• recovery time,
• ability to work/read/listen/rest,
• lower stress.

You’re effectively paying a premium for outsourcing the stress of Gurugram traffic.

The most rational middle path

For your route, the optimal balance is probably:

Use your own car as the default because the savings are too large to ignore; and use Uber selectively for:

• late evenings,
• exhausting workdays,
• heavy rain/smog days,
• when you need to work during commute,
• days with client calls.

That way, you avoid spending ₹4 lakh/year on cabs, but also avoid burning yourself out driving every single day.

One more option worth considering

A hybrid commute via Delhi Metro may actually outperform both on stress.

For example:

• drive or auto to a Metro station,
• Metro toward Gurgaon,
• short cab/auto last mile to Sector 65.

It may not drastically reduce total time, but it can: reduce unpredictability, reduce driving fatigue, cut costs sharply, make commute time usable rather than exhausting.

Purely economically though, your hatchback car is the better commute option.

Disclaimer: This story is intended solely for educational and informational purposes and is based on an AI-generated response. The views, opinions, or recommendations expressed do not reflect those of Mint.