Trip Fuel Cost Estimator
Estimate fuel cost for your trip
Estimated Fuel Cost
$37.50
10.7 gallons needed · 300 miles
Quick Facts
- •Fuel cost = (distance ÷ MPG) × gas price
- •Highway driving is more efficient than city
- •55-65 mph is the most fuel-efficient speed range
Planning Your Fuel Budget
Estimating fuel cost before a trip helps with budgeting. Simply divide your trip distance by your car's MPG to get gallons needed, then multiply by the gas price. Highway driving is typically 10-20% more fuel-efficient than city driving.
Understanding the trip fuel cost estimator
Trip fuel cost is the one number that decides whether driving beats flying for a family, and whether a longer route with cheaper fuel is worth the detour. The calculation needs three inputs: distance, fuel economy and price per unit. The part people forget is that economy on a loaded highway trip differs from the number they see around town.
Worked examples
Cost of a 620 mile drive at 28 MPG and 3.45 per gallon
- 1Gallons needed: 620 ÷ 28 = 22.14.
- 2Cost: 22.14 × 3.45 = 76.39.
- 3Cost per mile: 76.39 ÷ 620 = 0.123.
- 4For a round trip, double it: 152.78.
About 76.39 each way, or 152.78 return, at 12.3 cents per mile.
Metric version for 900 km at 7.5 L/100km and 1.62 per litre
- 1Litres needed: 900 ÷ 100 × 7.5 = 67.5.
- 2Cost: 67.5 × 1.62 = 109.35.
- 3Split between 4 passengers: 109.35 ÷ 4 = 27.34 each.
109.35 for the drive, or 27.34 per person with four travelling.
Fuel cost per 100 miles
At a price of 3.50 per US gallon.
| MPG | Gallons per 100 mi | Cost per 100 mi | Cost per 1,000 mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 6.67 | 23.33 | 233 |
| 20 | 5.00 | 17.50 | 175 |
| 25 | 4.00 | 14.00 | 140 |
| 30 | 3.33 | 11.67 | 117 |
| 35 | 2.86 | 10.00 | 100 |
| 40 | 2.50 | 8.75 | 88 |
| 50 | 2.00 | 7.00 | 70 |
Practical tips
- •Highway economy is usually better than the combined rating for petrol cars and worse for hybrids, which lose their city advantage at speed.
- •A roof box costs 10 to 25 percent in economy at highway speed. A rear hitch carrier costs far less.
- •Add 10 percent to the estimate for detours, traffic and idling. Nobody drives the exact mapped distance.
- •Fuel is only part of the cost of driving. Tyres, servicing and depreciation add roughly 20 to 30 cents a mile on most cars.
Frequently asked questions
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This calculator is for educational and reference purposes only. Always verify critical calculations independently.