Quick answer
Estimate fuel needed, total trip cost and cost per distance from route length, vehicle efficiency and price per unit.
How to use it
- Choose the distance and efficiency units that match your data.
- Enter one-way distance, vehicle efficiency and fuel price, then select round trip if needed.
- Calculate and compare fuel volume, total cost and cost per kilometre or mile.
Method
The tool first converts distance and efficiency to a common basis. Fuel used equals total distance divided by efficiency in km/L, or total distance multiplied by L/100 km and divided by 100. US and UK MPG use different gallon sizes and are converted separately. Total cost is fuel used multiplied by price per litre or gallon.
Worked example
A 300 km trip in a vehicle rated at 15 km/L uses 20 L. At 1.70 per litre, it costs 34.00, or about 0.113 per km.
Common uses
- Budgeting a road trip or commute
- Comparing vehicles with different efficiency units
- Splitting an estimated driving cost
Limitations
Actual use changes with traffic, speed, terrain, weather, load, tyre pressure and driving style. Tolls, parking, charging, depreciation and currency conversion are not included.
Frequently asked questions
Are US MPG and UK MPG the same?
No. An imperial gallon is larger than a US gallon, so choose the unit used by the vehicle specification.
What does round trip do?
It doubles the entered one-way distance before fuel and cost are calculated.