What fuel costs an Uber or Bolt driver in Romania: petrol, hybrid, LPG or electric?

Fuel is, together with the app commission, the car and taxes, one of the biggest costs of an Uber or Bolt driver. The difference between cars is huge: on the same schedule, a driver with a petrol car can pay almost four times as much for fuel as one who charges an electric car at home.

Below you will find what each type of car costs per hour and per month, how the calculation works and what to watch out for.

How to calculate the cost per hour

The formula is simple:

cost per hour = kilometres per hour × consumption per 100 km ÷ 100 × fuel price

Three things matter:

• Real consumption in town, not the brochure figure. Official (WLTP) figures are measured in ideal conditions; in traffic, with the air conditioning on and many stops, real consumption is usually higher.
• Kilometres per hour. In town, a ride-hailing driver covers on average about 30 km per hour, including the empty drives to pick up passengers. In smaller cities or at night it can be more, in rush hour less.
• The price. The figures below use average pump prices in Romania in October 2026: petrol 10.1 RON/L, diesel 10.9 RON/L, LPG 4.7 RON/L. For electric cars: about 1.2 RON/kWh at home and 2.5 RON/kWh at fast chargers.

Example for a petrol car using 7.5 L/100 km: 30 × 7.5 ÷ 100 × 10.1 = 22.7 RON per hour.

Comparison by type of car

Assumptions: 30 km per hour, 45 hours a week (about 5,850 km a month and 70,000 km a year, with no holidays) and gross income of 80 RON per hour.

For the LPG cars, the cost also includes 0.3 L of petrol per 100 km for starting the engine (our estimate; details below).

The difference between a petrol car and a hybrid on LPG is about 2,600 RON a month, more than 31,000 RON a year, on the same schedule.

Petrol

A regular petrol car (for example a compact with a small turbo engine) uses about 7–8.5 L/100 km in town. It is the most expensive option at the pump: about 28% of your income goes on fuel. It only makes sense if the car is already paid off and you work few hours.

Diesel

A diesel uses less (5.5–6.5 L/100 km in town), but in 2026 diesel costs more than petrol in Romania, so the advantage over petrol is small: about 3 RON per hour. Short city trips are also bad for the diesel particulate filter (DPF): it can clog, and the repair is expensive.

Petrol hybrid

Hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, Auris, Corolla or C-HR use little fuel precisely in town: they recover energy into the battery every time you brake, and at low speeds they often run on the electric motor alone. Real consumption in traffic is usually between 4.5 and 6.5 L/100 km, depending on the model, the generation and how congested the city is. The calculation uses 5 L.

Hybrid on LPG: the choice of many drivers

Many ride-hailing drivers use a Toyota hybrid fitted with an LPG system. The combination brings two advantages together: the hybrid uses little fuel, and LPG costs less than half the price of petrol.

How much it uses: a 1.8 hybrid (Prius, Auris, Corolla, C-HR) uses about 5.5–6.5 litres of LPG per 100 km in town. LPG consumption in litres is higher than petrol consumption, because a litre of LPG contains less energy, but the price more than makes up for it. The calculation uses 6 L.

The engine starts on petrol. It starts on petrol and only switches to LPG once it has warmed up. In winter, in the morning or after long breaks, that means somewhat more petrol. That is why we added 0.3 L of petrol per 100 km; the real figure depends on the climate and how often you switch the engine off.

What the installation costs: a good-quality sequential LPG system, fitted, generally costs between 4,000 and 8,000 RON; for a hybrid, ask for a written quote in which the workshop explicitly confirms that it fits that model. On top of that comes the approval at RAR, the Romanian Automotive Register (the fee is about 332 RON), and updating the registration certificate.

How quickly it pays for itself: compared with the same hybrid on petrol you save about 1,100 RON a month at 45 hours a week. A 4,000–8,000 RON installation pays for itself in about 4–7 months.

Keep in mind:

• The system can only be fitted at a RAR-authorised workshop; with an unapproved system the car is not allowed on the road.
• An LPG tank can be used for 10 years from its date of manufacture, not from installation. On a second-hand car with LPG, check the date on the tank.
• The LPG system needs its own servicing (filters, adjustments), which should be included in your yearly costs.
• Check whether the installation affects the warranty of the car or of the hybrid system.

LPG on a regular car

Petrol cars with factory LPG (for example the Dacia Logan or Sandero ECO-G) or with a system fitted later use about 9–10.5 L of LPG per 100 km in town. The cost per kilometre is close to that of a petrol hybrid, and the car itself is usually cheaper to buy.

Electric

An electric car usually uses between 14 and 18 kWh/100 km in town (the calculation uses 16 kWh). The cost depends almost entirely on where you charge:

• At home or at work (about 0.7–1.5 RON/kWh, depending on the supplier): the cheapest option of all, about 6 RON per hour.
• At fast chargers (about 2.3–2.8 RON/kWh in 2026, depending on the operator): the cost doubles and gets close to that of a regular LPG car.

There is also a hidden cost: charging time. A fast charge usually takes 20–40 minutes, during which you take no rides. If you cannot charge at home, the advantage of an electric car shrinks a lot.

Calculate for your own car

The figures above are averages. You can find your real consumption most accurately from your fuel receipts and the kilometres in the app over a few weeks.

In the earnings calculator, enter your own consumption and price under "Consumption L (kWh)/100 km" and "Fuel price / kWh". For a hybrid on LPG, enter the LPG consumption and the LPG price; you can account for the petrol used at start-up by rounding the consumption up slightly.

Sources

• Fuel prices, October 2026: pretcarburant.ro, Capital.ro
• EV charging rates: pretcarburant.ro, Promotor.ro
• Hybrid on LPG consumption: Autolatest – Toyota 1.8 Hybrid on LPG, Autolatest – Prius on LPG
• LPG installation cost and RAR approval: Capital.ro, Capital.ro – RAR rules