Road Trip Fuel Cost Calculator
Plan the gas budget for any trip — total fuel cost and the per-person split once you factor in passengers.
How much will fuel cost for my road trip?
Multiply your route by your fuel economy and pump price, then split it. On this tool's defaults — a 300-mile round trip (600 miles total) at 28 MPG and $3.50 a gallon — you'd burn about 21.4 gallons for roughly $75 of fuel, or about $37.50 each split between two people, near $0.13 a mile.
Your numbers
Total trip fuel cost
$75
600 mi total
Cost per person
$37.5
2 people
Fuel cost per mile
$0.13
Insight — Splitting fuel across passengers is what makes a road trip cheaper than flying. Tolls, food and lodging aren't included here — add them on top to get the true door-to-door cost.
What if Gas price / gal changes?
| Gas price / gal | Total trip fuel cost |
|---|---|
| $3.00 | $64.29 |
| $3.50 · now | $75 |
| $4.00 | $85.71 |
| $4.50 | $96.43 |
| $5.00 | $107 |
Run the real EV numbers
Charging, payback and running cost depend on your mileage and local prices — benchmark them before you commit.
Explore EV toolsFree · No sign-up · Independent, source-based math
For context: a 600-mile round trip at 28 MPG and $3.50/gal works out to about $75 of fuel — roughly $37 each when split between two people. Enter your own distance, MPG and price above.
How this calculator works
This is a modeled estimate, not a quote. The calculator doubles your one-way distance for a round trip, divides the total miles by your MPG to get gallons, then prices those gallons at your local rate. Dividing the total by the number of passengers gives each person's share, and dividing by total miles gives fuel cost per mile. It covers fuel only.
Formula
Total miles = one-way distance × (2 if round trip). Gallons = total miles ÷ MPG. Fuel cost = gallons × price per gallon. Per person = fuel cost ÷ passengers.
Worked example
A 300-mile round trip is 600 miles; 600 ÷ 28 MPG ≈ 21.4 gallons; 21.4 × $3.50 ≈ $75 total. Split between 2 people that's about $37.50 each, and $75 ÷ 600 ≈ $0.13 per mile.
What affects your result
- →Trip distance and whether it's round trip
- →Real highway MPG
- →Price per gallon along the route
- →Number of people splitting the cost
- →Terrain, load and headwinds that lower MPG
What this estimate includes
- ✓Total driving distance
- ✓Gallons needed for the trip
- ✓Total fuel cost
- ✓Cost per person and per mile
What it does not include
- ×Tolls, parking, meals and lodging
- ×Vehicle wear and maintenance for the trip
- ×Detours beyond the distance you enter
- ×Price changes between different stations
Good to know
Clear, practical answers about the road trip fuel cost calculator.
How do I calculate fuel cost for a road trip?＋
Multiply trip distance by two if it's a round trip, divide by your MPG to get gallons, then multiply by the price per gallon. Dividing the total by the number of passengers gives each person's share.
Should I use city or highway MPG for a road trip?＋
Highway MPG is usually closer, since most trip miles are at steady speed. But strong headwinds, mountains, a loaded car or roof cargo can drop it noticeably, so estimate slightly conservatively.
Does this include tolls, food and hotels?＋
No — this is fuel only. For a full trip budget, add tolls, parking, meals and lodging to the total fuel cost shown above.
🔗 Embed this calculator on your site (free)＋
One line adds the live road trip fuel cost calculatorto your page. It auto-resizes to fit (no scrollbars) and shows a small “Calculator by MotorCrunch” credit — keeping that link is the only condition of use.
<script src="https://themotorcrunch.com/embed.js" data-calc="road-trip-fuel-cost-calculator" data-theme="light" async></script>No-script fallback (plain iframe, for CMSes that strip scripts)
<iframe src="https://themotorcrunch.com/embed/road-trip-fuel-cost-calculator?theme=light" title="Road Trip Fuel Cost Calculator" width="100%" height="760" loading="lazy" style="border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:12px;max-width:680px;width:100%"></iframe>
<script>window.addEventListener("message",function(e){if(e.data&&e.data.type==="mc-embed-height"){var f=document.querySelector('iframe[src="https://themotorcrunch.com/embed/road-trip-fuel-cost-calculator?theme=light"]');if(f)f.style.height=e.data.height+"px";}});</script>All widgets with previews: themotorcrunch.com/widgets
Read next
How MotorCrunch estimates are made
Every calculator on MotorCrunch runs on transparent, documented formulas — the same standard financial math a lender, insurer or actuary would use. The loan payment is the amortization formula P × r × (1+r)^n / ((1+r)^n − 1). Depreciation follows compounding curves calibrated to published used-car value data by vehicle class and age. Running costs — fuel, charging, insurance, maintenance, registration — are modeled from per-mile and per-period cost studies published by government agencies (AAA, DOE, ONS, ABS, etc.) and industry sources, refreshed as those reports update.
Where a precise public figure is not available for a specific market or vehicle, the calculator uses a clearly labeled conservative estimate derived from the nearest comparable published data. Every assumption is visible and editable on screen — you can replace any default with your own quoted number to get a result that reflects your exact situation. No figure is hidden, rounded into a "score" or collected from readers.
The calculators are built to decide, not to rank. Each formula is unit-tested in the MotorCrunch codebase, and every data source traces to a typed registry of official publications listed in the Sources & Assumptions sidebar on each page. Results are educational estimates — not financial advice, not a binding loan offer, and not an insurance quote. For decisions specific to your personal finances, speak to a qualified, regulated professional.
Related calculators
Fuel Cost Calculator
Turn your annual mileage, MPG and local gas price into a real monthly and yearly fuel bill — plus cost per mile.
Open calculatorCost Per Mile Calculator
Add up fuel, maintenance, depreciation and insurance to find what every mile really costs you to operate your car for gig work.
Open calculatorEV Range & Cost Calculator
See your usable real-world range after cold and highway losses — and what it costs to drive 100 miles.
Open calculator