Fuel Cost / Road Trip Calculator
Planning a road trip? This free fuel cost calculator estimates your total gas or charging cost from the trip distance, your vehicle's fuel economy, and the current fuel price — then splits it per person. It works for gasoline cars and electric vehicles.
Enter your trip
Your results
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Trip distance | — |
| Fuel economy | — |
| Fuel price | — |
| Passengers | — |
Note: Gas prices are user-entered — no live price data. Results are estimates for planning; real-world fuel use varies with speed, traffic, terrain, and weather.
How to use this calculator
Pick Gasoline or Electric, then enter the total round-trip distance in miles. For a gas car, add your vehicle's MPG (check the sticker or your dashboard average) and the current gas price per gallon; for an EV, enter your efficiency in miles per kWh and your electricity rate. If you're splitting the trip, set the number of passengers — the per-person share updates instantly.
Every field recalculates the results as you type, so you can play with different gas prices or vehicles to see how much the trip cost changes.
How it works
For a gasoline car: gallons needed = trip distance ÷ MPG, total fuel cost = gallons × gas price per gallon, and cost per mile = gas price ÷ MPG. Per-person share is the total divided by the number of passengers.
For an electric car: kWh needed = trip distance ÷ miles per kWh, total cost = kWh × electricity rate per kWh, and cost per mile = rate ÷ mi/kWh.
Assumptions: fuel economy is constant over the whole trip, and all electricity (or gas) is bought at the single rate you entered. What's excluded: tolls, parking, hotels, meals, and tire wear or other car maintenance — this is fuel cost only, and results are estimates, not quotes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate fuel cost for a road trip?
Divide the trip distance in miles by your vehicle's MPG to get the gallons you'll need, then multiply by the gas price per gallon. For example, a 500-mile trip in a 28-MPG car at $3.50 per gallon uses about 17.9 gallons and costs about $62.50.
How much does gas cost per mile?
Divide the gas price per gallon by your car's MPG. At $3.50 per gallon with 28 MPG, you pay about $0.125 — twelve and a half cents — per mile. The calculator above shows your per-mile cost automatically.
What is a good MPG for a road trip?
Most efficient non-hybrid sedans get around 28–35 MPG combined, which is a good benchmark for a road trip. Hybrids typically manage 40–50 MPG, while larger SUVs and trucks often fall in the 18–25 MPG range. Use your car's combined rating — or better, your actual observed mileage — for the most accurate estimate.
How do I figure out the fuel cost of an electric road trip?
Divide the trip distance in miles by your EV's efficiency in miles per kWh to get the kilowatt-hours you'll use, then multiply by your electricity rate per kWh. For example, a 500-mile trip at 3.5 mi/kWh uses about 143 kWh; at $0.16 per kWh that's about $22.86. Switch this calculator to Electric mode and it does the math for you.
Does this calculator use live gas prices?
No. Gas prices are user-entered — there is no live price data. Enter the current price per gallon from your area (the default is $3.50) for an accurate estimate.