This delivery rate calculator turns your fuel cost, efficiency and target markup into a per-km rate you can actually charge, for direct clients or through a platform. Enter your numbers, get a rate, and re-check it any time fuel prices move.
Fuel is usually the single biggest swing factor in what a delivery actually costs you. A rate that made sense last month can quietly stop being profitable the moment pump prices move, and most riders only notice after a run of thin days.
Use the free Delivery Rate Calculator at MetricSuite.tools to calculate this instantly, no signup required.
Work out what you should charge per kilometre, based on your real fuel cost, and re-check it any time pump prices move.
This is markup on cost, not margin on price, they give different numbers. Prefer to think in margin? Use the free Margin and Markup Calculator at MetricSuite.tools.
How many deliveries to hit today's target?
Direct clients versus platform fares
A WhatsApp or walk-in client pays you the full rate. A Bolt or Yango-style platform takes a cut first, so the fare shown on the app has to be higher than your real target rate for you to net the same amount. This calculator handles both. Enter your platform’s commission percentage and it works out the fare you need on the meter to still walk away with your target per-km rate.
Delivery Rate Calculator: How the Platform Fare Works
The math runs in one direction only: your fuel cost per km, plus any maintenance and wear you want to account for, gives your operating cost. Add your markup on top for your direct-client rate. If you also work through a platform, dividing that rate by (1 minus the commission percentage) gives the fare that needs to show on the platform for you to net the same amount after their cut.
If you’re pricing goods rather than delivery time, the free Margin and Markup Calculator at MetricSuite.tools to calculate this instantly, no signup required, covers the same markup-versus-margin distinction for product pricing.
Why fuel efficiency and price stay as manual inputs
Fuel prices change often and vary by station, region and country, and your vehicle’s real efficiency is specific to that vehicle. Rather than guess at a number that would be wrong for most readers, this calculator asks for your own current figures each time. That takes ten seconds and gives you an answer that’s actually right for your situation, not a regional average that might be off by a wide margin.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Your per-km rate should be rebuilt from current fuel price and your vehicle’s real efficiency, not left fixed while pump prices move.
- A platform fare and a direct-client rate are different numbers. The platform fare has to be higher to net you the same amount after commission.
- This calculator does not assume a fuel price, efficiency figure, or commission rate for you, all three vary too much by area and platform to guess safely.
- Maintenance and wear cost per km is optional but worth including if you want the rate to actually cover vehicle upkeep, not just fuel.
- Re-running the calculator whenever fuel prices change is the entire point, it takes seconds and protects your margin.
FAQ
How do I calculate my delivery rate per km?
Divide your current fuel price per litre by your vehicle’s fuel efficiency in km per litre to get your fuel cost per km. Add any maintenance cost per km, then add your target markup on top. That total is your direct-client rate per km.
Why is the Bolt or Yango fare different from my direct-client rate?
Because the platform takes a commission out of the fare before you’re paid. To net your target rate after that cut, the fare shown on the platform needs to be higher, specifically your target rate divided by (1 minus the commission percentage).
Does this calculator use a fixed fuel price or commission rate?
No. Fuel prices, vehicle efficiency, and platform commission percentages all vary too much by location, vehicle, and platform to assume a single figure. You enter your own current numbers each time, which takes seconds and keeps the result accurate for your situation.
Should I include maintenance costs in my delivery rate?
It’s optional but recommended if you want your rate to cover more than just fuel. Oil changes, tyres, and brake wear are real costs of doing the work, leaving them out means your rate might cover fuel but slowly lose money on the vehicle itself.