Fuel Cost Calculator
Calculate fuel cost for a trip or your monthly commute from distance, fuel efficiency (km/L, L/100km or MPG) and fuel price. Split the cost between passengers.
About the Fuel Cost Calculator
Plan a road trip or budget your commute. Enter the distance, your vehicle's fuel efficiency and the price per litre or gallon to see how much fuel you will use, what it will cost, and the share per passenger.
How to use it
- Enter the trip distance and whether it is one way or a return trip.
- Enter fuel efficiency in km/L, L/100 km or miles per gallon.
- Enter the fuel price and the number of people sharing.
How fuel cost is calculated
Fuel used is distance ÷ fuel efficiency, and cost is fuel used × price per litre. A 150 km trip each way is 300 km return; at 15 km/L that uses 20 litres, and at 1.60 a litre it costs 32.00, or 8.00 each for four people.
Efficiency in L/100 km is converted with km/L = 100 ÷ L/100 km, and miles per gallon is converted using the correct US or UK gallon, so you can enter whatever your car's dashboard shows.
Budgeting a commute
Enter your daily one-way distance with ‘Return trip’ ticked, and the ‘Monthly (20 trips)’ figure shows a typical working month. Compare it with bus, train or ride-share costs, and remember to add parking, tolls and wear on the vehicle.
Use less fuel
Keep tyres at the recommended pressure, remove roof racks and heavy loads you don't need, drive smoothly and avoid long idling. Air conditioning and stop-start city traffic can raise consumption by 10–20%.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my car's fuel efficiency?
Fill the tank, reset the trip meter, drive normally, then refill. Divide the distance driven by the litres added to get km/L.
How do I convert L/100 km to km/L?
Divide 100 by the L/100 km figure. 8 L/100 km equals 12.5 km/L.
Why does my real cost differ?
Traffic, air conditioning, load, tyre pressure and driving style all change consumption, so use the result as a budget estimate.