Work out what a drive will cost in fuel

Turn trip distance, your car's fuel economy, and the pump price into a fuel budget and a per-person split.

Tools used in this guide

The job

Before a road trip or a shared drive you want to know the fuel bill — and, if you split it, what each person owes. The calculator works out the fuel the distance needs at your car's economy, then multiplies by the price.

How to do it

Enter the round-trip distance — it is easy to forget the way back. Put in the economy figure your car actually reports: Japan and Europe quote km/L or L/100 km, the US quotes MPG. Enter the pump price in the matching unit. Add a head count to get the per-person share.

Worked example

A 300 km round trip at 15 km/L needs 20 liters. At ¥170 per liter that is ¥3,400; split four ways, ¥850 each. The same trip at the US figure of 45 MPG and $3.50 per gallon uses about 4.1 gallons — roughly $14.50.

Limits

This is fuel only — tolls, parking, and wear are separate. Real consumption swings with load, air conditioning, terrain, and driving style, easily ±10–20%. US and UK MPG are different gallons; pick the right unit in the selector.