How to Calculate the Fuel Cost of a Trip
Calculating fuel cost before a road trip helps with budgeting, comparing routes, and deciding whether to drive or use alternative transport. The calculation requires knowing the trip distance, your vehicle's fuel efficiency, and the current fuel price. Fuel efficiency varies significantly by vehicle type, driving style, speed, and road conditions.
Google ad
Formula
Fuel Cost Calculator
Calculate the fuel cost of a trip based on distance, fuel efficiency, and fuel price.
Google ad
Worked Example
Given:
Related Calculators
FAQs
How do I find my car's fuel efficiency?
Fill your tank completely, reset your trip odometer, drive normally until you need to refuel, then fill up again. Divide the litres added by the kilometres driven and multiply by 100 to get L/100km. Alternatively, divide kilometres by litres for km/L. Most modern cars display average fuel consumption in the instrument cluster.
What factors affect fuel consumption?
Highway driving at steady speed is typically 20–30% more efficient than city driving with frequent stops. Air conditioning adds 5–15% to fuel consumption. Driving at 120 km/h uses significantly more fuel than 100 km/h due to aerodynamic drag increasing with the square of speed. Tyre pressure, vehicle weight, and cold weather also affect efficiency.
How do I convert between L/100km and mpg?
To convert L/100km to US mpg: divide 235.2 by the L/100km figure. To convert to UK mpg (imperial): divide 282.5 by the L/100km figure. For example, 8 L/100km = 235.2 ÷ 8 = 29.4 US mpg or 35.3 UK mpg.