ClearQuip
ClearQuip · Money

Trip gas cost calculator

Fuel cost · gallons or liters · round trip · split per person

Estimate what a drive will cost in fuel. Enter the distance, your vehicle's fuel economy and the price of gas, then double it for a round trip and split it between passengers.

Inputs

Result

Enter distance, fuel economy, and fuel price.

Disclaimer: An estimate. Real fuel use varies with speed, load, weather, terrain and traffic; prices change along the route.

Thinking about an auto loan? Estimate payoff time and interest at APR Desk.

How to use the trip gas cost calculator

  1. Enter the one-way driving distance from your map app.
  2. Enter your vehicle's fuel economy. Your own recent average beats the window sticker: fill the tank, note the trip odometer at the next fill-up, and divide miles by gallons.
  3. Enter the fuel price you expect to pay along the route.
  4. Tick round trip if you're coming back the same way, and set how many people are sharing the cost.

Switch to metric if your car reports liters per 100 km. The price is then per liter, in whatever currency you use.

Planning tip: gas prices can vary noticeably between states and between highway and in-town stations, so for long trips use an average of the prices along your route. If you're comparing driving with flying, add parking, tolls and a night's lodging for longer drives, and remember that the fuel cost is split between everyone in the car.

How it's calculated

US: gallons = miles ÷ MPG · cost = gallons × price per gallon
Metric: liters = km × (L/100 km) ÷ 100 · cost = liters × price per liter
Per person = cost ÷ people

Round trip simply doubles the distance before the calculation. The result also shows the fuel cost per mile (or km), a useful number for comparing driving with flying or the train, or for splitting costs fairly on shared trips.

Real-world fuel use rises with high speeds, heavy loads, roof boxes, towing, hilly terrain, air conditioning and cold weather. For a conservative budget, reduce your MPG by 10–15%.

Worked example

A 300-mile drive in a car that averages 25 MPG, with gas at $3.50 a gallon:

Metric: 500 km in a car using 7 L/100 km, with fuel at 1.80 per liter, burns 500 × 7 ÷ 100 = 35 L, which costs 35 × 1.80 = 63.00.

FAQ

How do I calculate gas cost for a trip?

Divide the distance by your car's miles per gallon to get gallons, then multiply by the price per gallon. 240 miles at 30 MPG and $3.40 a gallon is 8 gallons, or $27.20.

How do I find my car's real MPG?

Fill the tank, reset the trip odometer, drive normally, and at the next fill-up divide the miles driven by the gallons needed to refill.

How do I convert L/100 km to MPG?

Divide 235.2 by the L/100 km figure to get US MPG. For example, 7 L/100 km is about 33.6 US MPG.

Does this include tolls or wear and tear?

No. It covers fuel only. Tolls, parking and vehicle wear are extra costs to budget for separately.

Related tools