Fuel cost calculator

What the result means

Trip fuel cost is distance times consumption times price. Australian consumption is labelled in litres per 100 kilometres, so first convert kilometres into hundreds of kilometres.

How it is calculated

Litres = distance × (L/100 km) ÷ 100. Cost = litres × price per litre

• Distance: Kilometres for the journey being costed.
• L/100 km: Litres of fuel used to travel 100 km.
• Price: Pump price in dollars per litre.

Consumption is already a rate per 100 km. Multiplying distance by that rate and dividing by 100 yields litres. Price converts litres into dollars. Cost per kilometre is trip cost divided by kilometres driven.

Worked example

Sydney to Newcastle and back

The drive is about 180 km each way. The car averages 7.2 L/100 km and fuel is $1.89/L.

Return distance

360 km

Litres

360 × 7.2 ÷ 100 = 25.92 L

Cost

25.92 × $1.89 ≈ $48.99

Budget about $49 for fuel, before parking, tolls or extra urban driving at either end.

Sticker figures versus real driving

Lab-test consumption on a windscreen is measured on a standardised cycle. Traffic, hills, payload, air conditioning, cold starts and driving style usually use more fuel. If you have a trip-computer average, use that.

EV drivers can use the electricity calculator instead, with kWh instead of litres. Hybrids still have an L/100 km figure for the petrol side.

Questions