Should I use city or highway economy?

Use the figure that matches the trip. A long motorway journey on highway economy will be cheaper than the same distance in stop-start city traffic. If the trip mixes both, use a blended estimate.

Does this include tolls, wear or depreciation?

No — it covers fuel only. Tolls, parking, tyre wear and per-kilometre depreciation all add to the real cost of a trip, so add them separately if you need the full picture.

Can I enter miles with L/100km?

Yes. The calculator converts internally, so distance in miles and economy in L/100km work together correctly. Pick the unit that matches the figure you have for each field — there is no need to pre-convert.

Should I use the manufacturer’s economy figure?

Manufacturer figures come from standardised tests and often flatter real-world economy. For a realistic trip cost, use the economy you actually see on similar trips, tracked from your fuel receipts. For a new car, knock 10–15% off the official figure as a starting estimate.

Cooking & DIY/Home Calculators

Fuel Cost per Trip Calculator

Knowing what a journey will cost in fuel helps you compare routes, decide whether to drive or fly, and budget a road trip before you leave. This calculator takes the distance, your vehicle’s fuel economy and the local fuel price, and returns the fuel the trip will use and what it will cost.

Enter the trip distance and pick its unit (kilometres or miles), your vehicle’s fuel economy in L/100km or mpg, and the fuel price per litre or per gallon in your currency. The calculator converts internally so mixed units work — miles with L/100km, or kilometres with mpg — and returns the fuel used and the total cost.

It is the number that turns “should we drive?” into a real decision — the fuel cost of a journey worked out before you leave, so a road trip, a commute or a cross-country move can be budgeted instead of guessed.

Trip distance

Distance unit

Fuel economy

Economy unit

Fuel price

Price unit

Currency

Enter your values to see the result.

How this is calculated

The calculator works in kilometres and litres internally, converting your inputs as needed. The trip distance is converted to kilometres (miles × 1.609344). The fuel economy is converted to litres per 100 km: a direct L/100km value passes through, and US mpg is converted with L/100km = 235.215 ÷ mpg. The fuel used is then (L/100km ÷ 100) × distance in km. The fuel price is converted to a per-litre figure (a per-gallon price is divided by 3.785411784), and the trip cost is fuel used × price per litre.

Because everything is reduced to kilometres and litres, mixed units work correctly: you can enter distance in miles with economy in L/100km, or distance in kilometres with mpg, and the result is the same as if you had converted each input by hand. The cost-per-kilometre figure is the trip cost divided by the distance in kilometres, useful for comparing the trip against per-km reimbursement rates or public-transit fares.

The model covers fuel only. It does not include tolls, parking, ferry fees, tyre wear, servicing, insurance or per-kilometre depreciation, all of which add to the real cost of a journey. It also assumes the economy figure you enter matches the driving conditions — a highway figure overstates economy in stop-start city traffic, and a city figure understates it on a long motorway run. For a mixed trip, blend the two or use the figure that dominates the route.

Worked example

A 300 km trip, vehicle at 7.0 L/100km, fuel at €1.60 per litre.

1Distance = 300 km (already in km).
2Fuel used = (7.0 ÷ 100) × 300 = 21.0 litres.
3Cost = 21.0 × €1.60 = €33.60.
4Cost per km = €33.60 ÷ 300 = €0.112/km.

Frequently asked questions

Can I mix distance and economy units?: Yes. The calculator converts internally, so you can enter distance in miles with economy in L/100km, or distance in kilometres with mpg. Pick the unit that matches the figure you have for each field.
Should I use city or highway economy?: Use the figure that matches the trip. A long motorway journey on highway economy will be cheaper than the same distance in stop-start city traffic. If the trip mixes both, use a blended estimate.
Does this include tolls, wear or depreciation?: No — it covers fuel only. Tolls, parking, tyre wear and per-kilometre depreciation all add to the real cost of a trip, so add them separately if you need the full picture.
Can I enter miles with L/100km?: Yes. The calculator converts internally, so distance in miles and economy in L/100km work together correctly. Pick the unit that matches the figure you have for each field — there is no need to pre-convert.
Should I use the manufacturer’s economy figure?: Manufacturer figures come from standardised tests and often flatter real-world economy. For a realistic trip cost, use the economy you actually see on similar trips, tracked from your fuel receipts. For a new car, knock 10–15% off the official figure as a starting estimate.

Related calculators

Method: fuel used = (L/100km ÷ 100) × distance; cost = fuel used × price per litre. Conversions use 1 mile = 1.609344 km, 1 US gallon = 3.785411784 L. Last updated: September 2026.

These results are general estimates from established formulas and conversion factors. Paint coverage, tile yields, concrete volumes, fuel economy, oven behaviour and clothing and shoe sizes vary by product, surface, vehicle, oven and brand. Always confirm with your supplier, the product label or the brand’s own size chart before buying or acting on a calculation.