Fuel Cost Calculator
What a drive costs in fuel, plus tolls, split between everyone in the car.
Enter a distance, a consumption figure and a price to see the cost.
How it works
The fuel cost of a journey needs three numbers: the distance, the car’s consumption and the price per litre. Consumption here is litres per 100 km, which is how it is quoted across most of the world outside the United States, so the litres used are distance × consumption ÷ 100.
The price is a field rather than a filled-in figure. Fuel prices move constantly, and a stale number filled in for you is worse than an empty box, because it looks as though it has been checked.
The consumption on a manufacturer’s brochure is measured under test conditions. Real city driving typically runs 20–40% higher, because of stops, traffic and air conditioning. For a figure that matches your car, fill the tank, note the odometer, drive, fill it again, and divide the litres you put in by the kilometres you covered, times 100.
The per-person split is taken on the total including tolls and parking, not on fuel alone — that is the number people are actually dividing between them.
Formula
litres = distance (km) × consumption (L/100 km) ÷ 100 • cost = litres × price per litre
Ticking the return journey doubles the distance before it enters the formula. If you already entered the round-trip distance, leave it unticked or the journey is counted twice.
Worked example
A 100 km drive each way, at 7 L/100 km and 22,000 per litre:
- One-way distance
- 100 km
- Total with the return
- 200 km
- Litres used
- 200 × 7 ÷ 100 = 14 L
- Fuel cost
- 14 × 22,000 = 308,000
- Split four ways
- 77,000 each
Adding motorway tolls and parking to the extras field raises each share — usually the part that makes a trip cost more than people expected.
Frequently asked questions
What consumption figure should I use?
A motorbike is typically 1.5–2.5 L/100 km, a small car 6–9, an SUV 9–13. Those are starting points; how and where you drive matters more than the brochure figure.
How do I measure my car’s real consumption?
Fill the tank, note the odometer, drive normally until you need fuel, then fill it again. Divide the litres from the second fill by the kilometres covered and multiply by 100.
Why is the fuel price not filled in?
Because it changes constantly and this page is prerendered to a static file, so it cannot update itself. A stale price that looks authoritative is worse than an empty field.
Is this the full cost of driving?
No. It is fuel plus whatever you add. Depreciation, servicing, tyres, insurance and road tax are not included — with those, the real cost per kilometre is usually one and a half to two times the fuel alone.
How much does air conditioning add?
Typically 5–15% more fuel, at the higher end in slow city traffic and the lower end at a steady motorway speed. Add it to the consumption field if you want it counted.
Why does cost per kilometre matter?
It is the one figure that compares across options — driving, the coach, or a ride-hailing app. A 200 km trip at 1,540 per km gives you something to hold a ticket price against.