Estimate fuel cost for a trip
Plan a fuel budget with your own distance, vehicle efficiency and fuel price. Choose US or imperial gallons explicitly and split the estimated cost between travelers.
Calculations run in your browser. The amounts you enter are not uploaded or stored by this tool.
How it works
- Enter the one-way distance and choose kilometres or miles.
- Enter vehicle efficiency and the fuel price, selecting the matching units for each.
- Choose a round trip if needed and set the number of travelers sharing fuel costs.
- Read total cost, cost per traveler and estimated litres of fuel.
Calculate litres first, then cost
For L/100 km, fuel used = distance in km × consumption ÷ 100. A 100 km journey at 8 L/100 km needs 8 litres. At 1.50 per litre, the fuel cost is 12.00. A return journey doubles this to 16 litres and 24.00; two travelers would pay 12.00 each.
US and imperial MPG are different
One US gallon is exactly 3.785411784 litres; an imperial gallon is exactly 4.54609 litres. One mile is 1.609344 km. Choose the gallon used by your vehicle’s MPG figure and separately choose the unit quoted at the pump. For 100 miles at 25 US MPG and 4.00 per US gallon, the cost is 16.00.
A planning estimate, using your prices
No live fuel prices or exchange rates are fetched. Real consumption varies with traffic, speed, weather, load and driving conditions. This calculator includes fuel only, excluding tolls, parking, depreciation and maintenance. It assumes one constant efficiency and price across the journey. Distance is capped at 10 million, efficiency and fuel price at one million, and estimated fuel and total cost at one trillion.
Worked examples
| One-way km | L/100 km | Price per litre | Litres needed | Trip cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 8 | 1.50 | 8 | 12.00 |
| 250 | 6 | 1.70 | 15 | 25.50 |
| 400 | 10 | 1.40 | 40 | 56.00 |
| 0 | 8 | 1.50 | 0 | 0.00 |
Frequently asked questions
Which MPG should I use in the USA or UK?
Use the specification’s stated unit. US MPG uses a US gallon; UK MPG usually uses an imperial gallon. The two numbers are not interchangeable, and imported vehicle specifications should be checked.
Can I use Canadian or Australian fuel prices?
Yes. Select price per litre and a display currency such as CAD or AUD. Enter your own local price. Currency selection does not convert exchange rates.
Does round trip double the distance?
Yes. Enter the one-way distance; selecting round trip doubles it. Leave that option off if you already entered the complete journey distance.
Can I split the cost with passengers?
Yes. Travelers includes the driver and everyone sharing fuel costs. It must be a whole number from 1 to 1,000. The split includes fuel only, not other journey expenses.
Sources
Last reviewed: October 16, 2026
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