Road Trip Cost Calculator
The cost of a road trip, fuel plus whatever else you list, one way or return, split between travellers to the cent, with the driving time.
Result
Total trip cost: $629.98Estimate
At a steady economy and speed. Mountains, traffic and a loaded car use more fuel.
- Fuel
- $69.98Estimate
- Each person’s share
- $157.49Estimate
- Distance driven
- 620 mi
- Cost per mile or km
- $1.0161Estimate
- Note
- The total does not split evenly: 2 of you pay one cent more.
https://calcgallery.com/running-costs/road-trip-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 Road Trip Cost Calculator
- Enter the distance one way, and switch on round trip if you are driving back.
- Enter your car's economy, the fuel price and how many people are sharing, and list any other costs.
- Read the total, each person's share, and, with an average speed, the time on the road.
The formulas
distance driven = one-way distance × 2 for a round tripfuel cost = distance driven × consumption × fuel pricetotal = fuel cost + other coststime = distance driven ÷ average speed + time stoppedFuel economy in mpg, km/L or L/100 km is converted exactly before the calculation, and the fuel price can be per US gallon, imperial gallon or litre.
Other costs
List anything else you want in the total: tolls, parking, ferries, accommodation, food. Each row is added as entered, and the total is split with them included.
With your numbers
- Fuel for 1,240 mi: $139.96
- Total $139.96 + $560.00 = $699.96, split 4 ways
Quick reference
At a steady economy and speed. Mountains, traffic and a loaded car use more fuel.
| Example | Total trip cost |
|---|---|
| 620 mi each way, 31 mpg, 4 people | $699.96 |
| 620 mi one way | $69.98 |
| 1,000 km each way, 8 L/100 km | €264.00 |
| 300 mi return, 3 people, 25 mpg | $96.00 |
| 450 km one way, 6 L/100 km | €71.44 |
| 1,200 mi return at 65 mph | $750.00 |
Common questions about the Road Trip Cost Calculator
- Is the distance one way or return?
- One way. Switch on round trip to double it. Entering a return distance and then switching on round trip, or the reverse, is the most common way to get a trip cost out by a factor of two, which is why the choice is its own switch.
- How is the cost split?
- Evenly, to the cent. When the total does not divide exactly, the leftover cents go one each to some travellers, so the shares always add up to the total. 699.96 between four is 174.99 each exactly; the page says when some pay a cent more.
- What average speed should I use?
- Your average while moving, not the speed limit. On a long motorway trip it is usually well below the limit once junctions, traffic and towns are counted. Stops for fuel, food and rest go in the hours stopped.
- Does this include wear and depreciation?
- Only if you add them as a cost. A long trip does cost more than fuel: the car depreciation and mileage reimbursement calculators put a figure on the rest.