How much does a replacement driveway cost?
Driveways can be made of tarmac, asphalt, paving slabs, brick (also known as block paving or monoblock which can be herring bone style or a regular pattern), concrete, resin or gravel. How much each of them costs depends largely on the size, whether there’s already a suitable sub base down, drainage requirements and cost of the blocks or finish you choose. A gravel driveway can look nice and generally costs the least but still requires a proper MOT sub base and regular maintenance to keep weeds at bay.
For all of the methods the first step will be to dig out the ground where the driveway will go, then a multiple layers of hardcore compacted down and finally the top surface applied. The compaction step is important as cars are heavy and will cause subsidence even in the sturdiest looking driveway.
For further work in your outside area, you may also want to see our patio cost calculator.
Benefits of each paving type
Tarmac & Asphalt
- Weather resistant
- Fast turnaround times
- Very durable
- Cost effective
Resin bound
- Colour stable & UV resistant
- Slip, weed & frost resistant
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Long lifespan
Block paving
- Large selection of colours and styles
- Looks great
- Can be repaired easily
Concrete
- Low maintenance
- No resurfacing
- High load bearing
- All weather durability
Gravel
- Very cost effective
- Range of aggregate options
- Fully permeable
Typical paving prices
| Type | Low price per m² | High price per m² |
|---|---|---|
| Tarmac & Asphalt | £40 | £60 |
| Resin bound | £50 | £80 |
| Block paving | £70 | £100 |
| Concrete | £90 | £160 |
| Gravel | £40 | £80 |
User submitted driveway prices
| Driveway type | Description | Price | Units | Region | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block paving | Remove Tarmac drive and relay in block 80 m2 | £8,140 | Total price | Cymru Wales | 2023 |
| Tarmac | Driveway to be tarmaced 300sq metres | £11,800 | Total price | West Midlands | 2023 |
| Block paving | Built front drive with kerbs, Brett Alpha Antique Charcoal 50mm, 300sqm including alleyway. | £27,500 | Total price | London | 2023 |
| Block paving | Block paved drive with kerb edging all around, 80 sqm in size | £5,750 | Total price | London | 2023 |
| Resin bound | Resin bonded driveway pathway with aggregate | £100 | Per m² | North East | 2023 |
| Gravel | 200 sq meter drive excavated, drainage installed with soakaway, lined with geo-textile and filled with compacted gravel. | £4,100 | Total price | Cymru Wales | 2023 |
| Block paving | Block paving using Marshalls block pavers. Site excavated to 150mm below finished surface area MOT type 1 compacted to 75mm with a 25mm bed of screeded sharp sand with paver laid to finished level. | £62 | Per m² | London | 2023 |
| Gravel | Cotswold gravel 200m2 and included a small retaining wall. | £5,550 | Total price | North West | 2023 |
| Asphalt | Resurfacing of old (tarmacadam drive) drive with asphalt using reputable local contractor of 40 years. Planing off reducing levels, removal of all debris laying 40mm thickness of 45/10 Asphalt material. Consolidate and sealing all joints. About 180 sq metres – works out at about £27.75 per m2. | £4,995 | Total price | Cymru Wales | 2023 |
| Block paving | All block paving materials supplied, labour to dig out and fit area 25sq/m | £3,100 | Total price | London | 2023 |
| Gravel | Gravel grid, Inc gravel, prep etc. Fantastic finish, really happy with the job, laid over old driveway. | £31 | Per m² | London | 2023 |
| Block paving | Quote received: Dig out and remove old drive, remove sub soil to 300mm. Lay weed blanket then type 1 MOT and whack down in layers of 100mm to a depth of 100mm below finished height. Lay and whack sharp sand to 50mm. Screed level. Lay pavers to design and sand. | £85 | Per m² | East of England | 2023 |
| Block paving | Remove existing driveway MOT Type 1 sub-base, 60mm thk basecourse (20mm), 30mm wearing course (6mm) including block paving edges, 2 recessed manhole covers and about 6m of linear drainage. | £4,640 | Total price | West Midlands | 2023 |
| Block paving | Whole drive old concrete removed and crushed, put in 66m2 of flags and block paving edged on sand and cement. | £4,260 | Total price | North West | 2023 |
| Resin bound | Resin bound mixture of dried gravel and clear polyurethane binder mixed and troweled to a smooth finish. Laid at 15mm depth over a existing concrete driveway. | £65 | Per m² | North East | 2023 |
| Block paving | Just over 100m2 of paving had choice of colours and patterns, used 30 ton type 1 mot stone. | £4,300 | Total price | West Midlands | 2023 |
| Block paving | Had old driveway comprising of concrete and tarmac removed, driveway widened to fit 2 cars. All waste removed, drainage installed, roadstone put down and compacted, edging stones in, and block paving an area of around 48m2. | £6,750 | Total price | East Midlands | 2023 |
