Fuel Cost Calculator
Calculate fuel costs for your next trip. Enter your distance, fuel efficiency and fuel price to estimate the total cost, including round trip options.
Estimated Fuel Cost
- Total Distance
- 1,000 miles
- Fuel Needed
- 33.33 gallons
- Fuel Price
- $3.50 / gallon
- Estimated Cost
- $116.67
Tip: Actual costs may vary based on driving conditions, vehicle type and fuel prices in your area.
Simple to use
Get results in seconds
Accurate calculations
Based on standard formulas
Works on any device
Mobile, tablet or desktop
How to Use the Fuel Cost Calculator
Enter the distance for one leg of your trip and select miles or kilometers. Enter your measured fuel efficiency in MPG, L/100km or km/L, then select a matching price unit. Choose one way or round trip and calculate. Round trip doubles the entered distance; any tolls or parking entered under Advanced Options are added once to the whole trip.
Fuel Cost Formula
For miles and miles per US gallon, fuel cost is calculated using:
Fuel Cost = (Distance ÷ MPG) × Fuel Price
For a round trip, the distance is multiplied by 2. For liters per 100 km, fuel needed equals distance in kilometers × consumption ÷ 100. For km/L, divide kilometers by efficiency. The calculator converts between miles, kilometers, US gallons and liters before applying the price.
MPG means miles per US gallon. One mile equals 1.609344 kilometers and one US gallon equals 3.785411784 liters. Distance, efficiency and price can use different supported units because the calculator converts them before calculating the cost.
This is a fuel budget, not a prediction of actual consumption. Traffic, load, speed and weather affect efficiency. Use a recent measured average, and include only the additional costs you want in the estimate. Prices and results are in US dollars; imperial gallons are not supported.
Example Calculation
For a 500-mile one-way journey, select round trip with an efficiency of 30 mpg and a price of $3.50 per US gallon:
Total distance: 500 × 2 = 1,000 miles Fuel needed: 1,000 ÷ 30 = 33.333… gallons Fuel cost: (1,000 ÷ 30) × $3.50 = $116.67
A 500-mile journey in each direction is 1,000 miles total. At 30 MPG it uses 33.333… US gallons; at $3.50 per gallon the fuel costs $116.67. Adding $20 of tolls makes the trip estimate $136.67. The result is rounded only for display, so the calculation keeps full precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I enter the return distance for a round trip?
No. Enter one leg and choose Round trip to double it. If you already have the combined distance for both directions, choose One way so it is counted only once.
Can I mix kilometers with MPG and a price per liter?
Yes. Distance, efficiency and price are converted internally. MPG uses US gallons, while L/100km means liters consumed per 100 kilometers and km/L means kilometers traveled per liter.
Are tolls and parking included?
Fuel is included by default. Add the combined trip total for tolls, parking or other expenses under Advanced Options. This amount is added once, even when Round trip is selected.
Why might my actual fuel bill be different?
The estimate assumes the same efficiency and fuel price for the whole trip. Driving conditions, vehicle load, detours and changing prices can alter the actual amount.