Tarmac Driveway Cost Calculator
This free calculator shows what a tarmac drive might cost to lay or resurface. Add digging out and a new base if you need them.
Measure the area
Measure only the part to be surfaced.
Your answer
For 50.0 m². Prices we found run from £2,000 to £6,500.
A drive carries the weight of cars. Check your local building rules or ask a builder or engineer.
Prices we used
Typical prices from UK cost guides, not quotes (Oct 2026). None of the guides say if VAT is included.
Quick answers
- A new 50 m² drive
- About £4,500 at £90 per m² (VAT not stated). Checkatrade also gives £4,500 for 50 m².
- New drive, per m²
- About £90 (VAT not stated). The guides we checked run from £40 to £130.
- Resurfacing
- £50–£70 per m², from one cost guide (VAT not stated).
- Tarmac per tonne
- £45–£60 for the tarmac alone, before laying (VAT not stated).
- VAT
- None of the cost guides say if their prices include VAT.
How to work it out
- Measure the length and width of the drive in metres. Multiply them to get m².
- Pick the job: a new drive, or a new top layer on the old one.
- Multiply the m² by the price per m². That is the cost of the job.
- Add any extras, such as digging out the old drive, at their own price per m².
10 × 5 = 50 m²
50 × £90 = £4,500
Dig out: 50 × £28 = £1,400
New base: 50 × £23 = £1,150
Total: £7,050 (VAT not stated)
Tarmac driveway cost by size
Tarmacing prices in the guides vary a lot: £40 to £130 per m². Our £90 is the middle of 7 figures. Checkatrade also says about £90. None of them say if VAT is in.
Two guides give prices for whole drives. Here they are, with the price per m² worked out.
| Drive | Guide | Total | Per m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 m² | Checkatrade | £2,200 | £110 |
| 30 m² | MyJobQuote | £1,300–£3,200 | £43–£107 |
| 50 m² | Checkatrade | £4,500 | £90 |
| 60 m² | MyJobQuote | £2,500–£5,000 | £42–£83 |
| 90 m² | MyJobQuote | £4,000–£7,500 | £44–£83 |
| 100 m² | Checkatrade | £7,000 | £70 |
Cost guides, not quotes. VAT not stated.
In both guides, a small drive costs more per m² than a big one. MyJobQuote's figures don't fall evenly, though. So a small drive may cost more than our middle price.
Tarmac cost per tonne
Tarmac is the UK name for asphalt. MyJobQuote says hot tarmac costs £45–£60 a tonne, for the material alone. A surfacing firm in Nottingham says about £50 a tonne. It adds £100–£150 to bring it to you. Neither says if VAT is in.
A drive is 85 mm thick in two layers, says the Mineral Products Association. Rolled tarmac weighs about 2.35 tonnes per m³.
| Drive | Tonnes | At £45–£60 a tonne |
|---|---|---|
| 20 m² | 4.00 | £180–£240 |
| 30 m² | 5.99 | £270–£360 |
| 50 m² | 9.99 | £449–£599 |
| 100 m² | 19.98 | £899–£1,199 |
The tarmac only. No labour, base or delivery. VAT not stated.
So the tarmac for a 50 m² drive is about 9.99 tonnes. Our tarmac calculator works out the tonnes for your drive.
Tarmac, gravel, resin or block paving?
MyJobQuote compares the cost of laying each drive surface. We found no second guide to check these against.
| Surface | Per m² | 50 m² drive |
|---|---|---|
| Gravel | £40–£70 | £2,000–£3,500 |
| Tarmac | £45–£80 | £2,250–£4,000 |
| Resin | £60–£95 | £3,000–£4,750 |
| Block paving | £70–£120 | £3,500–£6,000 |
| Concrete | £85–£135 | £4,250–£6,750 |
MyJobQuote, updated 25 August 2026. VAT not stated. Its table gives tarmac £45–£80; another part of the guide says £45–£100.
Gravel costs the least here. Concrete and block paving cost the most. Our gravel driveway calculator works out the stone for a gravel drive.
Resurfacing, digging out and the base
- Resurfacing: a new top layer over the old tarmac. MyJobQuote gives £50–£70 per m².
- Digging out: MyJobQuote gives £300–£800 to remove a small to medium drive. Checkatrade gives £28 per m². These two don't agree: at £28 per m², a 50 m² drive is £1,400. Ask what your quote includes.
- New base: Checkatrade gives £23 per m² for the stone sub-base. The MPA puts 150 mm of base under a drive.
- Labour: MyJobQuote gives £300–£400 a day.
Each comes from a cost guide that doesn't say if VAT is in, so treat it as a rough guide. Our Type 1 calculator works out the stone for a new base.
A drive carries the weight of cars. Check your local building rules or ask a builder or engineer.
Before you get quotes
- Check the planning rule. In England, a front drive that lets rain soak through needs no planning permission. Nor does one that drains into a lawn or border. Over 5 m² of hard surface that drains onto the road needs permission.
- Measure the drive in metres, and work out the m².
- Ask if VAT is in the price. None of the cost guides say.
- Ask what the quote covers: digging out, a new base, and both layers of tarmac.
- Get quotes from more than one local firm. Guide prices are not quotes.
The planning rule is from the UK government's 2008 guide to front gardens. Wales and Scotland have their own rules.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to tarmac a driveway?
UK cost guides put a new tarmac drive at about £90 per m². Checkatrade gives £2,200 for 20 m² and £7,000 for 100 m². Neither says if VAT is in.
How much is tarmac per tonne?
£45–£60 a tonne for the tarmac alone, says MyJobQuote. A Nottingham firm says about £50, plus £100–£150 to deliver it. Neither says if VAT is in.
How much does it cost to resurface a tarmac drive?
£50–£70 per m², says MyJobQuote. So a 50 m² drive would be £2,500–£3,500. We found only this one guide, and it doesn't say if VAT is in.
How much does it cost to dig out an old drive?
MyJobQuote says £300–£800 for a small to medium drive, over 1–2 days. Checkatrade gives £28 per m². These two don't agree: at £28 per m², a 50 m² drive is £1,400. Neither says if VAT is in, so ask what your quote includes.
Is a gravel driveway cheaper than tarmac?
Yes, in MyJobQuote's guide. Gravel is £40–£70 per m², and tarmac £45–£80. That is one guide only, and it doesn't say if VAT is in.
Is a tarmac driveway expensive?
In MyJobQuote's table, tarmac costs less than resin, block paving or concrete. It gives tarmac £45–£80 per m², resin £60–£95, block paving £70–£120 and concrete £85–£135. VAT is not stated.
Do I need planning permission for a tarmac drive?
In England, a front drive over 5 m² needs it if rain runs off it onto the road. Ordinary tarmac doesn't let rain soak through. Porous tarmac does, so it needs no permission.
Do these tarmac prices include VAT?
We don't know. None of the cost guides we read say. Ask each firm to put VAT on its quote.
Where our numbers come from
- Laid tarmac price: the middle of 7 cost-guide figures (6 checked again; VAT not stated)
- Tarmac drive cost: Checkatrade guide (VAT not stated)
- Tarmac per tonne, resurfacing and drive surfaces: MyJobQuote (VAT not stated)
- Tarmac about £50 a tonne: Nottingham contractor (VAT not stated)
- UK government guide to paving front gardens
- Tarmac drive layers: Mineral Products Association, Asphalt Applications 1
- Tarmac coverage: Heidelberg Materials asphalt calculator (14–18 m² per tonne at 25 mm)
- Asphalt weight: Asphalt Institute (110 lb per square yard per inch)
Made by BuildersCount. Last checked 4 Oct 2026.
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