Enter your license plate to see how much you'll pay in Road User Charges per year.
What the Ruc? is a free web-based RUC calculator built by Kodeword Limited, the Wellington-based company behind the popular Roadtrip fuel cost calculator app. The tool was created in early 2024 in response to the New Zealand Government's decision to begin charging Road User Charges on electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids from April 1, 2024, ending a 15-year exemption. The calculator works by accepting a vehicle's license plate number and average annual driving distance. It queries the NZTA database in real time to retrieve the vehicle's fuel type, then calculates the estimated annual RUC cost using current rates: $76 per 1,000km for EVs and diesel vehicles, $38 per 1,000km for PHEVs. The tool also estimates annual electricity costs for EV owners at $0.35/kWh. What the Ruc? is designed with privacy in mind -- it looks up licence plates with NZTA but never stores any personal data. The tool also supports placeholder plates like 'LOLGAS' for prospective EV buyers who want to estimate costs before purchasing.
Free web tool that estimates annual RUC costs. Users enter their license plate and annual km; the tool queries NZTA to identify vehicle fuel type and calculates yearly charges at current rates ($76/1000km for EV/diesel, $38/1000km for PHEV). Also estimates annual electricity costs for EV owners.
Fuel cost calculator app that shows the cost to drive from A to B using your exact car model. Enter start point, destination, and licence plate. Features include fuel cost calculation, route cost comparison, bill splitting with friends, carbon emissions display, and cheapest fuel station finder along your route. Available on iOS, Android, and web.
Emory Fierlinger and Ben Robertson released the Roadtrip fuel-cost calculator app in December 2021. Fierlinger later reported that it had reached number one on the New Zealand App Store.
What the Ruc? launched ahead of the 1 April introduction of RUC for light EVs and PHEVs. The site was updated on 24 March to use the reduced $38-per-1,000-km PHEV rate, and Roadtrip added EV and PHEV RUC costs to its trip calculations. By March, Roadtrip had about 200,000 downloads and had expanded into the United Kingdom and Australia.
Roadtrip Co-Founder and What the Ruc? Creator
Designer and developer who co-founded Roadtrip with Ben Robertson. Contemporary reporting identifies him as the creator of What the Ruc?.
Roadtrip Co-Founder and Developer
Co-founded Roadtrip with Emory Fierlinger and is identified as the Roadtrip app’s developer in Apple’s New Zealand App Store.
What the Ruc? was created to help New Zealand EV and PHEV owners estimate the effect of the RUC changes that took effect on 1 April 2024. Its website says it looks up licence plates with NZTA without storing them, then estimates annual charges from the vehicle type and expected distance. Roadtrip was also updated to include RUC costs in EV and PHEV trip estimates.
9158064
9429051978754
NZ Limited Company
27 Mar 2024
17 Hadfield Terrace, Kelburn, Wellington, 6012, New Zealand
M700050 - Development of customised computer software nec
Ben Hunter Andrew Robertson
Wellington, New Zealand
Emory Zane Fierlinger
Havelock North, New Zealand
1,000 total shares
Ben Hunter Andrew Robertson
500 shares · Wellington, New Zealand
Emory Zane Fierlinger
500 shares · Havelock North, New Zealand
Source: NZ Companies Office · Last checked February 2026
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