The North Coast 500 loops about 516 miles from Inverness, round the west and north coasts of the Highlands, and back down the east coast. Most people take five to seven days. On a route this long and this remote, fuel planning stops being a matter of cost and becomes a matter of not getting stuck.
Where the forecourts thin out
On the east coast and around Inverness, fuel is easy to find. On the west and north coasts, especially between Ullapool and Thurso, forecourts are fewer, smaller and more likely to close early or on Sundays. The safest habit is simple: never let the tank fall below half on the western and northern stretches, and fill up whenever you pass a forecourt at a convenient time, even if you don't strictly need to.
What single-track roads do
Long sections of the west coast are single-track with passing places. Each meeting with oncoming traffic means slowing, pulling in and pulling away again, and those stop-start cycles cost fuel. On the twistiest stretches, economy can drop by up to 30%. Use passing places on your left, or wait opposite one on your right, and pull in to let faster vehicles overtake, which keeps everyone moving and reduces the number of stops.
The Bealach na Bà
The road to Applecross over the Bealach na Bà climbs to 626 metres, with gradients of up to 20% and tight hairpins built in 1822. Signs advise against it for learner drivers, very large vehicles and caravans. In a car it's spectacular, but it will use far more fuel per mile than the rest of the route, and the descent needs low gears to avoid overheating the brakes. If you're towing or driving a large motorhome, take the longer coastal road instead.
A worked cost
A car averaging 35 mpg over the full loop, at an illustrative 140p a litre, uses about £94 of fuel. A more economical car at 40 mpg brings that down to about £82. On a 100-mile stretch of single-track road, a 30% economy penalty adds about £8 to that leg alone, a useful reason to drive the west coast gently.
Electric cars
Charging on the NC500 has improved, but chargers in the far north and west are spread out and can be in use when you arrive. Plan each day's charging stops in advance with a live map, and have a backup for each one.
When to travel
Late spring and early autumn offer the best balance of light, weather and traffic. July and August bring the most visitors and campervans, and some single-track sections become slow. In the depths of winter, daylight in the far north is short, some accommodation closes, and snow can close high roads such as the Bealach na Bà.
Respecting local communities
The route passes through small communities whose roads, shops and fuel stations are also their everyday services. Fill up when it's convenient rather than at the last moment, so you don't buy the last fuel in a remote village, and use passing places courteously.
A second example: one day on the west coast
A typical day on the west coast might cover around 90 miles, much of it single-track, between overnight stops. In a car averaging 35 mpg normally but losing a quarter of that on the narrow roads, the day's fuel at an illustrative 140p a litre comes to about £22, against about £16 on ordinary roads. Spreading the loop over more days doesn't change the total distance, but it does mean less time at the wheel each day and more time to stop when a forecourt appears.