FWIW, I learned to drive when it was ~$0.95/gal, and lived in the UK ~'05, so I feel keenly that a fairer comparison might be each region’s % of prol take-home avg that’s leeched by fuel costs. Is there an acronym for that?
Let’s say that these two nations’ Unit Price and MPG/KPL avgs are:
- US: $4.32/g | 26 mpg
- UK: £1.59/L | 36 kpl
Also, the nat’l avgs of “median wage worker” incomes are:
- US: $50,153 (£37,276.47)
- UK: £32,236 ($43,369.83)
The fuel cost/yr as % of gross earnings, and minutes-of-work per fill unit would look like:
- US: 2.12% | 7.4 mins/g (1.95/L) up 28% since 2019
- UK: 1.01% | 4.5 mins/L (17.2/g) down 7% since 2019 (income rose 31%)
Now, for some of us, the slice off the year’s top is image enough, but that "minutes of work per gallon/liter* punches low. 🤌🏼
If you find yourself with a surplus of joy and need it gone, run your own numbers for minutes per gallon/liter * (2*commute fuel usage) = minutes paid to earn the rest. 😅
Ya know? I think I might know a couple tamale trucks that could use a minor upgrade… 🤩