Fuel consumption and trip costs

Relevant tool

Fuel & trip cost calculator

Calculate consumption, range, trip and commute costs.

Trip cost follows the chain from distance and consumption to fuel quantity and price, with every supported unit converted to a common calculation basis first.

Functions and inputs

Six paths calculate consumption, fuel required, trip cost, range, commuting cost and a two-vehicle comparison. Distance accepts km or mi; fuel accepts L, US gal or Imperial gal; consumption includes L/100 km, km/L, mpg US and mpg UK.

Calculation model

The selected trip mode relates distance, consumption, litres and the normalized price per litre: fuel = distance × consumption ÷ 100; cost = fuel × normalized price.

How the calculator model works

Values normalize to kilometres, litres and a price per litre before calculation. Commuting doubles the one-way distance and uses entered days and weeks; monthly values are annual values divided by twelve. Currency labels format entered amounts only and do not convert exchange rates.

Checked examples

These checked cases show a consumption back-calculation, a single trip and an annual vehicle comparison: 36 L ÷ 600 km × 100 = 6 L/100 km; 300 km × 6 ÷ 100 × 1.80 = 32.40. A: 10,000 km × 5 ÷ 100 = 500 L; 500 × 1.80 = 900. B: 10,000 km × 7 ÷ 100 = 700 L; 700 × 1.80 = 1,260.

Units, display and interpretation

Distance, fuel and consumption units can vary at input, but the calculated cost remains an entered-currency amount rather than a live-price conversion: km/mi · L/US gal/Imp gal · L/100 km · km/L · mpg US/UK; currency is a display format.

Scope and limits

Fuel type is not a hidden variable. Traffic, weather, driving style, terrain, live prices, routes, emissions and non-fuel vehicle costs are not modelled, so the output is not a real vehicle forecast.