Fuel Cost Calculator
What a drive costs in fuel from the distance, your car’s economy in mpg, km/L or L/100 km, and the price per gallon or litre, with the cost per mile or km.
Result
Fuel cost: $48.64Estimate
At a steady economy. Real economy varies with speed, traffic, weather and load.
- Fuel used
- 14.06 gal (53.23 L)Estimate
- Cost per mile or km
- $0.1081Estimate
https://calcgallery.com/running-costs/fuel-cost-calculator/
Results are arithmetic on the figures you enter. The site stores no vehicle data, fuel prices, mileage rates, depreciation rates or residual values, because they vary by model and place and change over time. Real fuel economy varies with driving, weather and load. Nothing here is a fitment, safety or financial recommendation. Read the full disclaimer
How to use the Fuel Cost Calculator
- Enter the distance, in miles or kilometres.
- Enter your car's fuel economy in US mpg, imperial mpg, km/L or L/100 km, whichever you know.
- Enter the fuel price and whether it is per US gallon, imperial gallon or litre, and read the cost.
The formula
fuel used = distance × consumptioncost = fuel used × price per unit of fuelEconomy entered as mpg or km/L is distance per fuel, and is inverted to consumption, fuel per distance, before the calculation; L/100 km is already consumption. Because every form is converted to the same quantity, the same car gives the same answer however you enter it.
Prices to the tenth of a cent
Fuel is often priced to a tenth of a cent, such as 3.459 a gallon. The page keeps that price as entered and rounds only the final cost, so a full tank is not off by a cent a gallon.
Cost per mile or kilometre
The cost per unit of distance is the price divided by the economy. It is the figure to compare cars by, and to set against depreciation, which is usually larger; the car depreciation calculator shows both.
With your numbers
- Fuel used = distance × consumption = 14.0625 gal
- Cost = 14.0625 × $3.459 = $48.64
Quick reference
At a steady economy. Real economy varies with speed, traffic, weather and load.
| Example | Fuel cost |
|---|---|
| 450 mi at 32 mpg, 3.459 a gallon | $48.64 |
| 724.2 km at 7.3505 L/100 km, the same trip | €48.64 |
| 700 km at 7.5 L/100 km, 1.62 a litre | €85.05 |
| 100 mi at 32 US mpg | $10.81 |
| 100 mi at 32 mpg, priced per imperial gallon | $9.00 |
| 12,000 mi a year at 28 mpg | $1,482.43 |
Common questions about the Fuel Cost Calculator
- Why does it matter which gallon?
- A US gallon is 3.785 litres and an imperial (UK) gallon is 4.546, about 20% more. So 32 mpg in the UK means 32 miles on the larger gallon: a less economical car than 32 mpg in the US, equal to only about 26.6 US mpg. A price per imperial gallon also buys more fuel. Mixing the two is the largest silent error a fuel calculation can make; choose the right one in both fields.
- How do mpg and L/100 km compare?
- They measure the same thing from opposite ends. mpg is distance per fuel, so higher is better; L/100 km is fuel per distance, so lower is better. 32 US mpg is 7.35 L/100 km and 13.6 km/L. The page converts between them exactly, so any of the three gives the same cost.
- Why is my real cost higher than this?
- Rated economy comes from standard test cycles. Real driving, especially short trips, cold weather, motorway speeds, roof racks and heavy loads, usually uses more. Your own figure from a few fill-ups is more accurate; the gas mileage calculator works it out.
- What about an electric car?
- The EV charging cost calculator does the same sum for electricity, and the EV versus gas calculator compares the two.