Fuel Cost Calculator
Estimate trip fuel use, cost, and per-person share. Your work stays on this device whenever possible.
How to use Fuel Cost Calculator
- Choose Measurement Units (US, Metric, or UK) and select your Currency (USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, AUD, or PKR).
- Enter One-Way Distance and Fuel Economy in the style matching that choice.
- Type Fuel Price per Unit in your selected currency per gallon or litre.
- Tick "Round trip (2x distance)", set Passengers Sharing Cost and choose Fuel Type, which changes only the CO2 factor.
- Press "Calculate Fuel Cost" to see fuel needed, trip cost, cost per person and emissions.
Worked example
Choose Metric (km, L/100km, $/L), Distance 480, Fuel Economy 6.5, price 1.75, Passengers 3, Round trip ticked, gasoline. Total distance is 960 km. Fuel = 960 ÷ 100 × 6.5 = 62.40 litres, cost = 62.40 × 1.75 = 109.20, or 36.40 per person. CO2 is 62.4 × 2.31 = 144.1 kg, 48.0 kg per person.
When to use this tool
- Splitting the fuel bill for a weekend drive between three friends.
- Comparing a diesel and a petrol car over the same commute distance.
- Estimating the fuel emissions of a family road trip.
Important limitations
Actual vehicle efficiency varies significantly by terrain, payload weight, aggressive acceleration, tire pressure, and headwinds compared to EPA combined fuel economy ratings.
Frequently asked questions
How is fuel required worked out in each unit system?
US divides miles by MPG, metric multiplies distance over 100 by litres per 100 km, km/L divides distance by economy, and UK divides by imperial MPG then multiplies by 4.54609 litres per gallon.
Does the currency matter?
Yes. Choose your preferred currency (USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, AUD, or PKR) in the Currency selector, and all price inputs, trip totals, passenger splits, and rate labels will display that currency's symbol.
What does fuel type change?
Only the emission factor: 8.887 kg CO2 per US gallon for gasoline and 10.18 for diesel, or 2.31 and 2.68 kg per litre. It does not change the price or consumption.
How accurate is the estimate?
It assumes the economy figure you entered holds for the whole trip. Load, speed, tires, terrain and traffic push real consumption up or down, so add a margin for a long journey.
Can I split the cost unevenly?
No. Cost per passenger is the total divided by the number sharing, and the CO2 per passenger is split the same way. For uneven splits, use the total cost and divide manually.