Planning a day out, a lift share or a regular drive? Enter the distance, your car's miles per gallon and the fuel price, and this calculator gives the fuel cost of the journey and each person's share.
How to Use It
Enter the one way distance in miles and choose whether you want a one way or return journey. Your miles per gallon (mpg) is in the handbook or on the trip computer. Use the price per litre from the pump. If you are sharing the cost, enter the number of people.
A Worked Example
A 25 mile trip each way is 50 miles there and back. At 45 mpg and 140p a litre, the car uses about 5.1 litres and the fuel costs £7.07. Shared between two people that is £3.54 each.
What the Result Does Not Include
This is the cost of fuel only. Parking, tolls and wear and tear on the car are not counted. Real mpg is often lower than the handbook figure on short trips and in town, so allow a little extra.
Questions about Journey Fuel Cost Calculator
Does this use UK gallons?
Yes. Miles per gallon here means the imperial gallon, which is about 4.55 litres. This is the figure used on UK trip computers and in car handbooks.
How do I find my mpg?
Your trip computer shows an average mpg, or you can work it out by dividing the miles driven since the last fill up by the gallons it took to fill the tank again. The handbook figure is usually better than what you will get in everyday driving.
Can I use this to share petrol money fairly?
Yes. Enter the number of people sharing and the calculator divides the fuel cost equally. It covers fuel only, so add anything else you have agreed to share.