Estimate the gas cost for any trip from distance, fuel efficiency, current fuel price, and passengers. Works for any vehicle.
A fuel cost calculator estimates how much a trip costs in gas based on distance, vehicle fuel efficiency, current fuel price, and the number of passengers splitting the cost. It works for any vehicle — car, SUV, truck, motorcycle — and accepts miles or kilometers, mpg or L/100km, and USD per gallon or per liter. The output is total fuel cost, gallons needed, cost per mile, and cost per passenger for splitting.
Cost = (Distance ÷ MPG) × Price per gallon. U.S. average regular gas ≈ $3.50–$4.00/gal (2026).
| Trip | Distance (mi) | MPG | Price/gal | Gallons | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily commute (round trip) | 300 | 25 | $3.50 | 12.00 | $42.00 |
| Weekend getaway | 500 | 30 | $3.50 | 16.67 | $58.33 |
| Cross-state drive | 1,000 | 28 | $3.80 | 35.71 | $135.71 |
| SUV local trip | 250 | 22 | $4.00 | 11.36 | $45.45 |
| Hybrid short trip | 150 | 35 | $3.20 | 4.29 | $13.71 |
| Cross-country road trip | 2,000 | 24 | $3.95 | 83.33 | $329.17 |
Reference: U.S. DOE / EPA FuelEconomy.gov. Split cost by passengers to get per-person expense. Real-world MPG is typically 10–15% lower than the EPA window-sticker value.
$37.50
10.71 gal
$0.13/mi
$37.50
Conversion: 1 mile = 1.609 km; 1 gallon = 3.785 L; mpg to L/100km = 235.215 ÷ mpg. Real-world MPG varies with driving conditions, traffic, weather, and cargo.
| Distance | @ 20 mpg | @ 30 mpg | @ 40 mpg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 miles | $17.50 | $11.67 | $8.75 |
| 250 miles | $43.75 | $29.17 | $21.88 |
| 500 miles | $87.50 | $58.33 | $43.75 |
| 1000 miles | $175.00 | $116.67 | $87.50 |
Cost per mile = price per gallon ÷ MPG. At $3.50 per gallon a 25 mpg car costs $0.14 a mile and a 40 mpg hybrid costs $0.09. Multiply by the miles you drive in a year for the annual figure; the U.S. IRS standard mileage rate is set separately and is higher than the fuel-only number because it also covers depreciation, insurance and maintenance.
| Fuel economy | $3.00/gal | $3.50/gal | $4.00/gal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 mpg | $0.20 | $0.23 | $0.27 |
| 20 mpg | $0.15 | $0.17 | $0.20 |
| 25 mpg | $0.12 | $0.14 | $0.16 |
| 30 mpg | $0.10 | $0.12 | $0.13 |
| 35 mpg | $0.09 | $0.10 | $0.11 |
| 40 mpg | $0.07 | $0.09 | $0.10 |
Cost per mile = price per gallon ÷ MPG. A diesel car at 32 mpg and $3.90/gal costs $0.12 a mile; a petrol car using 8 L/100km at $1.45/L costs $0.19 a mile.
At 12,000 miles a year, a car that gets 5 mpg more burns 320 fewer gallons a year — worth $1,120 at $3.50 a gallon, and $1,750 a year for a 40 mpg hybrid versus a 15 mpg truck. Over five years of ownership those numbers are the price of the car, not a rounding error.
| MPG | Gallons / year | Cost / year at $3.50 | Saved vs. 15 mpg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 mpg | 800 | $2,800 | $0 |
| 20 mpg | 600 | $2,100 | $700 |
| 25 mpg | 480 | $1,680 | $1,120 |
| 30 mpg | 400 | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| 35 mpg | 343 | $1,200 | $1,600 |
| 40 mpg | 300 | $1,050 | $1,750 |
Road trips, diesel and petrol: a 1,000-mile round trip at 28 mpg and $3.80 a gallon costs $135.71 in fuel — about $67.86 each way, or $33.93 a person split four ways. A 600-mile diesel run at 32 mpg and $3.90 a gallon costs $73.13. The same trip in metric — 500 km at 8 L/100km and $1.45 a litre — needs 40 litres and costs $58.00. Enter any of those in the calculator above: it takes miles or kilometres, mpg or L/100km, and dollars per gallon or per litre.
Cross-checked against authoritative formulas (IRS, NIST, ACSM) and updated for 2025/2026 tax years and rates.
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FAQ
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At 12,000 miles a year, every 5 mpg of fuel economy is worth roughly $700 a year in gas at $3.50 a gallon — a 25 mpg car burns 480 gallons a year and a 20 mpg car burns 600, so the difference is 120 gallons. Over five years of ownership that is about $3,500, which is usually more than the cost of a used hybrid conversion or a more efficient replacement. Our fuel cost calculator shows the annual figure and the cost per mile for any MPG and fuel price, so you can price the saving before you shop.
How it works
Our fuel cost calculator computes the cost of a road trip from distance, fuel efficiency, current fuel price, and the number of passengers.
Type the one-way or round-trip distance in miles or kilometers. The fuel cost calculator handles the conversion automatically.
Type your vehicle's fuel economy in mpg (US) or L/100km (Canada/Europe). The fuel cost calculator converts between the two. Use your actual MPG if you know it from your own fill-up tracking; otherwise use the EPA combined rating from the window sticker.
Type the local fuel price per gallon or per liter. Add the number of passengers to split the cost evenly if applicable. The fuel cost calculator recomputes everything as you type.
The fuel cost calculator shows total trip cost, gallons of fuel needed, cost per mile, and cost per passenger if splitting. A reference table below shows typical costs at common distances and MPGs.
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