Fuel Cost Calculator

A journey's fuel cost is the litres you burn multiplied by the price per litre. Enter the distance, your car's mpg and the price you pay to see the cost, the fuel used and the cost per mile.

Your Details

Unit: miles
Unit: mpg
Unit: p/litre

Live fuel average unavailable. Enter the price you pay.

Your Fuel Cost

Fuel for this journey only. Wear and tear, parking and tolls are not included.

Enter your journey details and press Calculate.

How the fuel cost is calculated

  1. Gallons used
    Journey distance ÷ fuel efficiency (mpg).

  2. Litres used
    Gallons × 4.54609 litres (one UK gallon).

  3. Journey cost
    Litres × fuel price (p/litre) ÷ 100, rounded to the penny.

  4. Cost per mile
    Journey cost ÷ distance × 100, in pence to one decimal place.

Worked example

A 100-mile journey in a car that does 40 mpg, with fuel at 140p a litre.

Journey Cost
£15.91
Fuel Used
11.37 litres
Cost Per Mile
15.9p

100 ÷ 40 = 2.5 gallons. 2.5 × 4.54609 = 11.37 litres. 11.37 × £1.40 = £15.91. £15.91 ÷ 100 miles = 15.9p a mile.

Assumptions and limits

  • Fuel use is converted from miles per gallon using the UK (imperial) gallon of 4.54609 litres.
  • You enter the fuel price. The calculator does not use a live or average price.
  • The result covers fuel only: wear and tear, parking, tolls and congestion charges are not included.
  • Real-world mpg varies with speed, traffic, load and weather, so the figure you enter makes the biggest difference.
  • The yearly figure in "What this means for you" assumes the same journey 5 days a week for 48 weeks.

Key Takeaways

  • A journey's fuel cost depends on three things: the distance, your car's real-world mpg and the price you pay per litre.
  • In the worked example, 100 miles at 40 mpg and 140p a litre costs £15.91, or 15.9p a mile.
  • Halving your mpg doubles the fuel you use, so an honest mpg figure matters more than a precise price.

Sources

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