Insights
When driving wins and when flying wins
Every trip anyone runs here is priced both ways and kept. This is what 4,319 checks across 871 routes add up to — the distance where flying takes over, what a mile costs each way, and where the close calls are.
- Trips checked
- 4,319
- Driving wins
- 439
- Flying wins
- 411
- Toss-ups
- 21
Trips checked
Driving wins
Flying wins
Toss-ups
- Tesla wins50% · 439
- Toss-up2% · 21
- Plane wins47% · 411
The headline finding
Flying starts winning at about 600 miles
The change isn't gradual. Driving wins almost every trip shorter than 400 miles, flying wins almost every trip longer than 800, and the whole argument lives in the narrow band between them — where close calls outnumber clear winners. Measured in 100-mile steps, the first step where the plane wins more than half the trips is about 600 miles. Seats, fuel prices and how long the flight itself is all move it.
Measured in 100-mile steps across 871 routes; 413 of them are 600 miles or longer
If you need to get there, flying starts winning at about 600 miles.
- Flying wins
- Too close to call
- Driving wins
In a hurry, fly. If you have the time and like the road, most long drives stop being a loss and become a close call.
The two edge cases, in numbers
| Edge case | Trip | Drive | By car | By plane | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longest drive the car still wins | Walker, LA → Knoxville, TN | 636 mi | $130 | $319 | Drive |
| Shortest drive the plane wins | Vejle, DK → Haugesund, NO | 429 mi | $236 | $243 | Fly |
Cost per mile
What a mile costs, both ways, by trip length
Short trips are the plane's worst ground: the airfare, the bags and the two rideshares barely shrink, so they land on very few miles. Stretch the trip and flying's cost per mile falls while the car's barely moves.
Single traveller, US dollars, across 871 routes
- Drive
- Fly
Cost per mile, in numbers
| Trip length | Trips | Drive $/mi | Fly $/mi | Plane wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 200 miles | 83 | $0.14 | $2.24 | 0% |
| 200 to 400 miles | 231 | $0.20 | $0.93 | 0% |
| 400 to 600 miles | 144 | $0.22 | $0.59 | 3% |
| 600 to 800 miles | 98 | $0.39 | $0.44 | 93% |
| 800 to 1,200 miles | 112 | $0.36 | $0.34 | 100% |
| Over 1,200 miles | 203 | $0.39 | $0.24 | 100% |
Stress
The drive stops being the calmer seat around 1,000 miles
Below that, the car scores calmer than the flight on a 0-100 scale — no security queue, no gate, no bag carousel, and the car doing the lane-keeping. Above it, the hours themselves take over.
Average 53% calmer where the car wins
- Drive
- Fly
Stress scores, in numbers
| Trip length | Drive stress | Fly stress | Calmer seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 200 miles | 10 | 56 | Car |
| 200 to 400 miles | 17 | 56 | Car |
| 400 to 600 miles | 26 | 52 | Car |
| 600 to 800 miles | 41 | 52 | Car |
| 800 to 1,200 miles | 53 | 57 | Car |
| Over 1,200 miles | 87 | 68 | Plane |
Carbon
The car is the cleaner seat on 868 of 871 routes
Where the car is cleaner it averages 6.1× less CO2e than the same trip by plane, counting the grid mix where the car charges, charging losses, and the extra warming effect of emissions released at altitude.
868 of 871 routes, single traveller
6.1× less CO2e
Average difference where the car is the cleaner seat, counting the grid mix where it charges and the extra warming from emissions released at altitude.
The closest call is Tulsa, OK → Wichita, KS — near enough even that carbon shouldn't decide it. How carbon is worked out →
What people check
The trips people actually run
Nobody was asked to run these. They are the city pairs visitors typed in themselves, most-checked first.
871 of 871 routes were run by a person
- Driving wins
- Toss-up
- Flying wins
The most-run trips, with links
| Trip | Times run | Drive | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE → San Francisco, CA | 43 | 1,665 mi | Fly |
| Miami, FL → Charleston, SC | 38 | 590 mi | Drive |
| Austin, TX → Dallas, TX | 35 | 196 mi | Drive |
| Toronto, ON → Montreal, QC | 29 | 336 mi | Drive |
| Dallas, TX → Denver, CO | 27 | 792 mi | Fly |
| Frankfurt am Main, DE → Copenhagen, DK | 24 | 504 mi | Toss-up |
| Los Angeles, CA → San Francisco, CA | 23 | 381 mi | Drive |
| Austin, TX → Denver, CO | 19 | 911 mi | Fly |
| Antwerp, BE → Berlin, DE | 18 | 448 mi | Drive |
| Los Angeles, CA → Las Vegas, NV | 18 | 270 mi | Drive |
Charging
How many Supercharger stops a trip actually needs
Stops come from usable range between charges on the real routed distance, not a round number. They are also the main thing that separates the drive's clock from the flight's.
Averaged across 871 routes
Charging stops, in numbers
| Trip length | Trips | Average stops | Drive stress | Fly stress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 200 miles | 83 | 0.3 | 10 | 56 |
| 200 to 400 miles | 231 | 1.7 | 17 | 56 |
| 400 to 600 miles | 144 | 2.7 | 26 | 52 |
| 600 to 800 miles | 98 | 3.9 | 41 | 52 |
| 800 to 1,200 miles | 112 | 5.4 | 53 | 57 |
| Over 1,200 miles | 203 | 11.5 | 87 | 68 |
Where the visitors are
The answer changes with the country
Fuel, electricity and airfare are all local. Trips outside the US are priced in their own money and converted only here, at fixed published rates, so the regions can sit in one table.
5 regions represented
- Driving wins
- Toss-up
- Flying wins
Regions, in numbers
| Region | Trips | Drive wins | Fly wins | Average drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 574 | 325 | 246 | 881 mi |
| Canada | 17 | 7 | 10 | 945 mi |
| United Kingdom | 14 | 8 | 5 | 607 mi |
| Europe | 209 | 73 | 120 | 815 mi |
| Elsewhere | 57 | 26 | 30 | 850 mi |
The edges
Longest, shortest and closest calls
The far ends of the library, and the trips where the two options land almost on top of each other.
From 871 routes
- Driving wins
- Flying wins
- Toss-up
| Trip | Drive | By car | By plane | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longest: Seattle, WA → San José, CR | 4,391 mi | $2,017 | $688 | $1,329 |
| Shortest: Miami, FL → Miami Beach, FL | 10 mi | $1 | $244 | $243 |
| Close call: Lommel, BE → Bern, CH | 443 mi | $97 | $237 | $140 |
| Close call: Vienna, AT → Berlin, DE | 423 mi | $94 | $241 | $147 |
| Close call: Wien, AT → Berlin, DE | 422 mi | $94 | $241 | $147 |
| Close call: Oslo, NO → Lesund, NO | 358 mi | $86 | $233 | $147 |
| Close call: Turku, FI → Oulu, FI | 402 mi | $92 | $241 | $149 |
| Close call: Antwerp, BE → Berlin, DE | 448 mi | $98 | $247 | $149 |
Cross-border
What a border does to the answer
A border adds a queue to both seats, but it costs the flight more: customs lands on top of an airport that already asks for two hours.
54 cross-border trips — driving wins 15, flying wins 38
| Trip | Drive | By car | By plane | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA → Tijuana, B.C. | 19 mi | $3 | $246 | Drive |
| Seattle, WA → Vancouver, BC | 143 mi | $19 | $261 | Drive |
| Detroit, MI → Toronto, ON | 233 mi | $53 | $272 | Drive |
| Dublin, IE → Belfast, UK | 103 mi | $14 | $220 | Drive |
| Istanbul, TR → Belgrade, RS | 588 mi | $124 | $326 | Drive |
| London, UK → Paris, FR | 289 mi | $74 | $269 | Drive |
| Winnipeg, MB → Minneapolis, MN | 458 mi | $94 | $280 | Drive |
| Ankara, TR → Alexandroupoli, GR | 466 mi | $89 | $274 | Drive |
The short answers
At what distance does flying beat driving a Tesla?
Across 871 routes compared on Fly or Tesla, measured in 100-mile steps, the first step where the plane wins more than half the trips is about 600 miles of driving; 413 trips in the library are that long or longer. Driving wins almost every trip under 400 miles and flying almost every trip over 800, with the close calls concentrated in between. Every extra seat in the car pushes the tipping point further out.
Is it cheaper to fly or drive a Tesla?
Of 871 routes, driving wins 439, flying wins 411, and 21 are close enough to call a toss-up. Where driving wins, it keeps $207 on average for a single traveller — counting charging, tyres, maintenance, road food and any hotel night the drive forces, against airfare, bags and getting to and from both airports.
What does it cost per mile to drive versus fly?
It falls fast as the trip gets longer. Under 200 miles cost $0.14 a mile to drive against $2.24 to fly, across 83 trips. 200 to 400 miles cost $0.20 a mile to drive against $0.93 to fly, across 231 trips. 400 to 600 miles cost $0.22 a mile to drive against $0.59 to fly, across 144 trips. 600 to 800 miles cost $0.39 a mile to drive against $0.44 to fly, across 98 trips. 800 to 1,200 miles cost $0.36 a mile to drive against $0.34 to fly, across 112 trips. Over 1,200 miles cost $0.39 a mile to drive against $0.24 to fly, across 203 trips.
How many Supercharger stops does a long drive need?
Under 200 miles average 0.3 stops. 200 to 400 miles average 1.7 stops. 400 to 600 miles average 2.7 stops. 600 to 800 miles average 3.9 stops. 800 to 1,200 miles average 5.4 stops. Over 1,200 miles average 11.5 stops. Each figure is based on usable range between charges rather than a rule of thumb.
At what distance does driving become more stressful than flying?
Around 1,000 miles. Below that, the drive scores calmer than the flight on a 0 to 100 scale. Above it, the hours behind the wheel overtake the airport.
Is driving an EV lower carbon than flying?
On 868 of 871 routes the car is the cleaner seat, averaging 6.1× less CO2e than the same trip by plane. That counts the grid mix where the car charges and the contrails on the flight.
Using these numbers
Everything above regenerates from the live trip library and is free to quote with a link back. The same figures are available as JSON, and the method behind them is written up under cost analysis, stress score and emissions. Costs and airfare are estimates, not quotes.