2024 cross-Canada road trip: How much does it cost?

A cross-country road trip is no small adventure, especially when the country spans 10 provinces and over 7500km. How much do such adventures cost? Frankly, they cost a lot of money. But with a little planning and some special insight, there are ways to save money throughout your journey. Here is the price of a Canada-wide road trip in 2024 based on my experience. 

First, let’s break down the road trip from an overview perspective. The road trip was carried out by two people (me and my partner), we started in Vancouver, B.C., and ended in St. John’s Newfoundland. It took 17 days and 16 nights to complete the journey and we only went one way, we did not drive back. The entire trip could be done quicker or extended depending on your priorities.

Now that the overview is done, let’s start breaking down the different parts of the journey.

Preparations

Like every section of this article, each road trip will need different materials to meet individuals’ needs. However, for the classic highway road trip, there are a few materials that you should consider bringing to make your journey run smoothly.

Here we will look at the preparations bought for our specific road trip and how much they cost.

Certain items on the list such as sleeping bags, window shades, and flashlights were bought to make sleeping in the car easier. Remember, if you already own these items or choose to book accommodations for yourself each night to avoid sleeping in a car, then prices will fluctuate dramatically.

As well as the listed items above, the items that came in handy that we already owned included warm blankets, sleeping socks/slippers, pillows, a coffee maker, a camping stove, utensils, a cellphone car mount, and board games.

Vehicle Information

Arguably the most important aspect of a road trip is knowing your vehicle.

A long road trip done in a short time frame means you will see a lot of the inside of your car. Along with making the inside of your vehicle as comfortable as possible, it’s important to do everything you can to avoid breaking down. 

Our journey was completed in a 2016 Hyundai Veloster Base Coupe. This vehicle is front-wheel-drive and has a 6-speed manual, a hatchback to access the cargo space, and four seats. For more information on specifications or comparison information, check HERE.

Fuel efficiency for this car was on average 6.1L/100km or 38mpg, a very healthy rate for a compact car. Interestingly, the average fuel efficiency was at its best in B.C., western Alberta, and Ontario where the highway experienced many climbs and declines.

The parts of the highway that were more flat such as the prairies and the 401 section of the highway proved worse. Coasting on declines and when anticipating a stop was the likely cause of better fuel consumption in the mountainous provinces. 

The important part is that this vehicle is quite small by North American standards, and yet the car was undoubtedly big enough for two people to spend a comfortable 80 hours of driving. Our setup allowed for one person to sleep in the rear with the seats folded down, and one passenger to sleep in the passenger seat at a half recline. In other situations, the spacing and packing can be tight.

Cost Breakdown

And so, what was the total for the cross-Canada road trip?

Below is a breakdown of costs paid for along the way and a final tally of the total spent between the two of us:
*gas prices ranged from 192.5 – 132.4*

Accommodations

One of the most important considerations to make especially if you plan to sleep in your car is where to park. There are many national parks along the Trans-Canada Highway and many of those require passes to visit and use the facilities, although they do not require a pass to drive through on the highway. Check out the 2024 Guide to National Park Fees.

Each province also has different rules and regulations about overnight parking. Many parking lots have signs indicating no overnight parking, while residential streets have individual parking restrictions. In general, there are no laws banning a person from sleeping in their car on residential streets, but there are commonly municipal enforcements that will make certain zones and streets unavailable for overnight parking. 

Our specific trip included:
6 Stays with Family (Vancouver, Virden, 2x London, Ottawa, Halifax)  
4 Hostel Stays (Banff, 2x Thunder Bay, Quebec City)
3 Nights in the Car (Regina, Thunder Bay, Moncton)
2 Nights in a Cottage (Gros Morne)
1 Night on a Ferry (North Sydney – Port aux Basques)

All said and done, the 6 nights we paid to stay in accommodations made up about 27% of our overall expenditure. We were very fortunate to be able to stay another 6 nights with family and family friends across the province, but accommodations are one of the more expensive portions of the road trip if you do not plan to sleep in your car.

Hiccups

The trip stretched just over 8000km in total. This includes the Trans-Canada Highway from Vancouver to St. John’s, a few diversions to save time or view attractions, and the odd city driving to get groceries and discover the city.

These 8000km were not without a complication or two. Here are some of the things we had to deal with, or we could advise you to try and avoid:

Car Maintenance

Inspecting your vehicle before putting 8000km on it in just over two weeks is pivotal. You can get a certified inspection for around $100-$200 and it can save you time and money.

Our vehicle was inspected, however, on the fourth day the car developed a loud scraping sound that continued to grow over the next 48 hours. This unfortunately happened on a Saturday and we decided to stay where we were until we could put the car in to get checked. 

To spare most of the details, my 2016 Hyundai Veloster had a common problem with the engine eating the oil and decreasing the oil level quicker than normal. This ended up being most of the issue, however, I was also overdue for a brake change and my front rotors ended up getting warped. Considering this is normal car maintenance, I did not include the fees in the overall total. All that was necessary to fix was the front brakes.

I had an oil change scheduled in two days in London Ontario anyway, so I was also able to get an oil change at the same time. Oil changes are suggested after 6 months or 6000km on average, but for a long road trip, you may want to change your oil more often, or pick up oil at a gas station if your engine needs a top-up. 

Data shortage (Cell Service)

Another problem we ran into was dead zones for cell service.

Unlike planning your next stop at a gas station or electric charger, it is much harder to predict where there will be reliable reception. We didn’t face any big issues when losing service, but it can prove inconvenient. Planning activities for that day or the next becomes harder (especially if you need to find a garage open to fix your car), calls can drop or be virtually impossible, and maintaining accurate directions can be difficult.

Some of the ways to help avoid problems with cell service include calling your phone carrier to determine how much data is available to you and during what period, purchasing physical maps, and letting people know it may be hard to reach you for the next while.

Heat and Sleep

John Sandlos in his International Novel of environmental studies mentions Canada’s 53 ecoprovinces, 194 ecoregions, and 1021 ecodistricts. This is to say Canada is BIG and diverse ecologically. Packing for different climates and weather conditions is essential.

Most people will do large road trips in the summer, but the last day of our trip resulted in snow (In Newfoundland, of course).

Sleeping in your car also demands good ventilation. If this is achieved by slightly opening the windows, even sleeping in a car will demand defending against Canadian weather patterns.

Sleep is also essential on a road trip. Most of your time will be spent behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, and it is important for the safety of all passengers and other vehicles on the road that drivers maintain focus and alertness. Change drivers when possible to rest, take breaks if ever you need to, and do not risk driving while sleep-deprived. 

Financial Transparency

To conclude, there is a lot that goes into any road trip, let alone one as big as 8000km or more. In 2024, the cost of one specific road trip was $2556 split between two people.

I kept track of and laid out where our money was allotted and how we saved where we could to give you an expectation for your own adventure. So, hopefully, you will find this helpful in your future planning!

I would also like to give a huge thanks to my partner in crime Anna for being the best road trip companion and master of the spreadsheet.