Fuel Cost Calculator

Comparison rates (per passenger)

Average fares vary widely; adjust these to match your route. Rates are per unit distance, per person.

Estimating driving cost

The fuel needed for a trip depends on how far you drive and how efficient your vehicle is:

• Imperial (MPG): fuel used = distance ÷ MPG, so cost = (distance ÷ MPG) × price per gallon.
• Metric (L/100km): fuel used = distance × (L/100km) ÷ 100, so cost = distance × (L/100km) ÷ 100 × price per litre.

A round trip simply doubles the distance. The per-person figure divides the total fuel cost by the number of passengers, since a full car shares one tank of fuel.

Comparing car vs flying vs train

Flight and train costs are estimated as a fare rate multiplied by distance, per passenger. Unlike driving, each traveller usually buys their own ticket, so these totals scale with the number of passengers. Default rates are rough averages — real fares depend heavily on route, timing, and booking class, so adjust them for your journey.

• Fuel cost (car): shared across everyone in the vehicle.
• Flight / train: fare rate × distance × passengers.

The tool highlights the cheapest option in green. Note that the driving figure covers fuel only — it excludes tolls, parking, maintenance, and depreciation.

Worked example

A 300-mile one-way trip at 30 MPG and $3.50/gallon:

fuel = 300 ÷ 30 = 10 gallons → cost = 10 × $3.50 = $35.00