Pick a surface and a job size, and the calculator shows a ballpark price range based on typical UK costs for that surface. Try the same size against each of the six surfaces in turn and you get a quick side-by-side comparison. That's usually the first question people have when they're choosing a new drive: what would the same space cost in tarmac, in gravel, or in block paving?
Choosing a job size
The three size options are the same for every surface, and they line up with the price bands in our cost guides:
- Small: parking for one car, or a small patio or slabbed area.
- Typical: parking for two cars, or a medium patio.
- Large, new base or premium finish: a full-width frontage, or any job with a higher specification. That covers a stabilisation grid throughout on gravel, clay pavers or a feature pattern on block paving, natural stone or porcelain slabs, a new base under resin bound, or a stamped or exposed-aggregate finish on concrete.
If you're between sizes, measure the longest and widest points of the area and think about how many cars it needs to hold. You're choosing a band, not pricing per square metre.
What the figure includes, and what it doesn't
Each range is an installed price: excavation, sub-base, edging and the finished surface. It doesn't know about your access, your ground or your council, so it leaves out:
- A dropped kerb, which is a separate council consent and cost if the drive needs a new vehicle crossing.
- Drainage work to keep an impermeable surface within the planning rules. Gravel and resin bound usually avoid this. Tarmac, standard block paving, concrete and most slab paving may not.
- Difficult ground, such as soft clay or old concrete to break out, that needs deeper excavation.
- Regional differences in labour and waste disposal costs.
Use the result to check whether real quotes are in the right neighbourhood. A quote well below the range usually leaves something out, most often sub-base depth, edging or waste removal. One well above it should have a specific reason you can ask about.
Going deeper on each surface
Each cost guide explains what sits behind its range: tarmac, gravel, block paving, slab paving, resin bound and concrete. If price is only part of your decision, our guide to the types of driveway also compares lifespan, upkeep and planning.
Frequently asked questions
Which driveway surface is cheapest?
Gravel is usually the cheapest to install, typically from around £1,200 for a single-car drive. Plain concrete and tarmac come next. Block paving and resin bound laid on a new base are usually the dearest. Running costs differ too: gravel needs topping up every few years, while the bound surfaces need less.
Is the calculator's figure a quote?
No. It's a ballpark range drawn from typical UK prices for each surface. Access, ground conditions, drainage and your chosen materials all change the real price, and only a contractor who has seen the site can price those properly.
Does the estimate include VAT?
Domestic driveway quotes are usually given inclusive of VAT, but smaller firms below the VAT threshold won't charge it at all. Check how each quote is presented before you compare them.
Why is resin bound's large band so much higher?
Resin bound's top band is for jobs that need a new base laid before the resin goes down, which is effectively two surfaces in one job. Where a sound existing tarmac or concrete drive can be used as the base, resin sits in the lower two bands.
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