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 |
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Charging, payback and running cost depend on your mileage and local prices — benchmark them before you commit.
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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.
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