Fuel Cost Calculator

Work out the fuel and money a trip will take

km

Enter the trip distance

L/100 km

Enter a valid fuel economy

/L

Enter a valid fuel price

Trip Cost
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Fuel Needed
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Running Cost
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Distance Driven
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Fuel Price

Fuel Cost Calculator — Complete Guide

Fuel is one of the few running costs of a car that scales directly with how far you drive. That makes it easy to estimate a trip once you know three things: distance, economy and price.

What this calculator does

Enter a trip distance, your fuel economy and the local fuel price, and choose one-way or round trip. It returns the fuel needed, the total cost and the running cost per 100 km or 100 miles.

The formula

L/100 km: fuel = distance ÷ 100 × economy
MPG: fuel = distance ÷ economy
cost = fuel × price

The two unit systems work in opposite directions: in metric, a bigger economy number means more fuel used; in MPG, a bigger number means less.

A worked example

A 300 km round trip is 600 km driven. At 7.5 L/100 km that is 600 ÷ 100 × 7.5 = 45 litres. At $1.60 a litre the trip costs $72.00, and the running cost is 7.5 × 1.60 = $12.00 per 100 km.

DistanceEconomyFuelCost at $1.60/L
100 km7.5 L/100 km7.5 L$12.00
500 km7.5 L/100 km37.5 L$60.00
500 km5.0 L/100 km25.0 L$40.00

Getting closer to the real number

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate fuel cost for a trip?

Divide the distance by your fuel economy to get the fuel used, then multiply by the price per unit. At 7.5 L/100 km over 300 km you need 22.5 litres; at $1.60 a litre that is $36.00.

How do I convert MPG to L/100 km?

Divide 235.2 by the MPG figure. 30 MPG becomes 235.2 ÷ 30 = 7.84 L/100 km. The conversion is inverted — a higher MPG means a lower L/100 km.

Why is my real fuel use higher than the rated figure?

Official economy tests are run in controlled conditions. Cold starts, air conditioning, roof racks, heavy loads, short trips and aggressive driving all raise consumption, often by 15-30%.

Last reviewed: October 5, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources: US DOE fueleconomy.gov, EPA