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⛽ Fuel Cost Calculator

Calculate the total fuel cost for any trip based on distance, fuel efficiency, and current fuel price.

Enter Your Values

Total trip distance in kilometres
Your vehicle's fuel consumption
Current price per litre

How to Calculate Your Fuel Cost Per Trip

The formula is: Fuel Cost = (Distance ÷ Fuel Efficiency) × Fuel Price. For example, if you're driving 200 km in a car that uses 10 litres per 100 km, and petrol costs $3.50 per gallon (or your local per-litre price), the calculator gives you the total cost for the trip. This calculator automates that calculation so you can budget for any journey instantly.

Fuel efficiency (also called fuel consumption) varies significantly between vehicles and driving conditions. A modern compact car like a Toyota Corolla or Volkswagen Polo typically uses 6–8 litres per 100 km in mixed driving. Larger SUVs and bakkies often consume 10–14 litres per 100 km. Diesel vehicles generally consume 15–25% less fuel than comparable petrol engines, which matters considerably over high mileage. If you're not sure of your car's exact consumption, check your vehicle's manual or look up the manufacturer's official combined cycle figure online.

Highway versus city driving makes a measurable difference. Highway driving at a steady 100–120 km/h is typically more fuel-efficient than stop-start city driving. If your daily commute is mostly city traffic, your actual consumption may be 20–30% higher than the manufacturer's stated figure. Use your car's trip computer or calculate manually over a few full-tank fill-ups to find your real-world number.

For road trip budgeting , the current petrol price per litre changes monthly. Check the latest current pump price in your area before a long trip to ensure your cost estimate is accurate. Prices differ between regular and premium unleaded, and diesel has its own price point.

Carpooling and cost-splitting: if you're sharing fuel costs with passengers, simply divide your total trip cost by the number of people. This calculator gives you the total first, making it easy to split fairly.

How to Calculate Fuel Costs for Any Trip

Trip fuel cost = (Distance ÷ Fuel Efficiency) × Fuel Price. Example: a 500km trip in a car that does 10L/100km at a fuel price of $1.50/litre costs (500 ÷ 10) × 100 × $1.50 = $75. In miles-per-gallon terms: (Distance in miles ÷ MPG) × price per gallon.

Fuel cost calculations help compare the true cost of driving versus other transport options, plan road trip budgets, evaluate whether a more fuel-efficient vehicle is worth the price premium, and calculate fair reimbursement rates for business travel.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate fuel economy (L/100km or MPG)? +
Fill up your tank completely, reset the trip odometer, drive normally, fill up again. L/100km = (litres used ÷ km driven) × 100. MPG = miles driven ÷ gallons used. Real-world fuel economy is typically 10-20% worse than manufacturer-quoted figures.
What is a good fuel efficiency rating? +
For petrol cars, under 6L/100km is excellent; 7-9L is average; above 10L is poor. In MPG terms, above 45 MPG is excellent; 30-40 MPG is average; below 25 MPG is poor for a standard car. SUVs and trucks use significantly more fuel than similarly-priced sedans.
How much does driving cost per kilometre or mile? +
Fuel is only part of the cost. Per-kilometre total cost includes: fuel, tyres, maintenance, insurance, depreciation, and financing. The RAC in the UK estimates total running costs for an average petrol car at 40-60p per mile. For budgeting, use twice the fuel cost alone as a rough total estimate.