Fuel Cost Calculator

From distance, fuel consumption and price per liter: total fuel, trip cost and cost per km.

How it is calculated

The tool converts consumption per 100 km into fuel for your trip, then prices it: fuel = distance / 100 × consumption, trip cost = fuel × price, cost per km = trip cost / distance. Distance is in kilometres, consumption in litres per 100 km and price in money per litre. Negative values return nothing, and with a distance of zero the cost per km is shown as zero. Amounts appear with a dollar sign, but the number is simply in whatever currency you typed the price in. The result covers fuel only; tolls, parking, wear and insurance are not included.

Worked example

You drive 450 km in a car that uses 7.5 L per 100 km, and fuel costs 1.8 per litre. Fuel used: 450 / 100 × 7.5 = 33.75 L. Trip cost: 33.75 × 1.8 = $60.75. Cost per kilometre: 60.75 / 450 = 0.135, shown as $0.14.

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Common mistakes

  • Entering miles per gallon in the consumption box; it needs litres per 100 km, and the two scales run in opposite directions.
  • Typing the price per gallon or per 10 litres instead of per litre.
  • Entering a one-way distance for a return trip, which halves the real cost.
  • Using the brochure consumption figure for a car that is driven in town traffic or loaded with luggage, which burns more.
  • Reading the dollar sign literally: the figure is in the currency of the price you entered.

About this calculator

This calculator estimates how much fuel a trip or period of driving will cost by combining distance traveled, a vehicle's fuel efficiency figure, and the current price of fuel, converting the distance into an amount of fuel consumed and then into a total cost. It works in liters per hundred kilometers, the consumption figure European fuel-economy ratings use.

Drivers use it to budget for a road trip before setting out, to estimate the ongoing cost of a daily commute, or to compare the running cost of two different vehicles with different efficiency ratings before deciding which one to buy or use for a particular trip.

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