Fuel Cost Calculator
Enter your trip distance, fuel consumption and fuel price to see the total cost instantly.
12.60
trip cost
7.00
liters needed
That is 0.13 per km over 100.00 km.
Processed on your device — nothing is sent anywhere.
How it works
- Enter the trip distance and pick your consumption unit (L/100km or MPG US).
- Type in your vehicle’s fuel consumption and the current fuel price.
- Read the fuel needed and total cost — enable round trip to double the distance.
Frequently asked questions
- How is the fuel cost calculated?
- With L/100km, fuel needed equals distance divided by 100 and multiplied by consumption. With MPG, it is distance divided by miles per gallon. The result is then multiplied by the price per liter or per gallon to get the total cost.
- What is the difference between L/100km and MPG?
- L/100km measures how many liters a car burns over 100 kilometers, so lower is better. MPG (US) measures how many miles a car travels on one US gallon, so higher is better. The calculator expects kilometers and price per liter in the first mode, miles and price per US gallon in the second.
- Can I use this for a round trip or shared costs?
- Yes. Turn on the round trip toggle to double the distance automatically. To split the cost between passengers, divide the total shown by the number of people traveling — the per-person share is simply the trip cost divided by the group size.
- How do I convert MPG to L/100km?
- Divide 235.21 by the MPG (US) value to get L/100km, and the same formula works in reverse. For example, 30 MPG is about 7.8 L/100km. You do not need to convert manually here, though — just switch the unit selector and enter the figure your car reports.
- How accurate is the estimate compared to real-world driving?
- The math is exact, so accuracy depends on the consumption figure you enter. Official manufacturer numbers are often 10 to 20 percent optimistic; the long-term average from your car’s trip computer is a much better input. City traffic, headwind, roof loads, and cold starts all push real consumption above the rated value.
About this tool
This fuel cost calculator answers a simple question before you set off: how much fuel will the trip use, and what will it cost? Enter the distance, your car’s fuel consumption, and the current fuel price, and both figures appear instantly. It works with either of the two common consumption conventions — liters per 100 kilometers or miles per US gallon — so you can use whichever numbers your car and your fuel station give you.
The calculation itself is straightforward and runs entirely in your browser. In L/100km mode, fuel needed is distance divided by 100 and multiplied by consumption; in MPG mode, it is distance divided by miles per gallon. The result multiplied by the fuel price gives the total cost. Nothing you type is sent to a server or stored anywhere, results update as you type, and the round-trip toggle doubles the distance for you so you do not have to redo the math for the way back.
Typical uses include budgeting a road trip or holiday drive, working out the true monthly cost of a commute, comparing whether driving or taking the train is cheaper for a particular journey, and splitting fuel fairly when friends share a car. For carpooling, divide the total by the number of passengers; for a commute budget, multiply a single day’s round trip by your working days per month.
A practical tip: the quality of the estimate depends almost entirely on the consumption figure. Rated factory values are measured in idealized conditions, so prefer the long-term average your trip computer reports, or calculate your own by dividing liters at a full-tank fill-up by the kilometers driven since the last one. Add a small margin for mountain routes, winter driving, or a fully loaded car, since all of these raise real-world consumption noticeably.