Fuel Cost Calculator — Road Trip Petrol Estimator

To calculate fuel cost for a road trip, you need three things: total trip distance, your vehicle's fuel efficiency, and the current fuel price. The formula is: Fuel Needed = Distance / Fuel Efficiency (in appropriate units), and Total Cost = Fuel Needed x Price per Unit. For metric: Fuel (litres) = Distance (km) / (Fuel Efficiency in km per litre). For US: Fuel (gallons) = Distance (miles) / MPG.

To calculate your vehicle's MPG: fill your tank completely, note the odometer reading, drive normally until you need to refill, fill the tank again, note the new odometer reading and the gallons pumped. MPG = (New Odometer - Old Odometer) / Gallons Pumped. For example, if you drove 300 miles and pumped 10 gallons, your MPG = 300 / 10 = 30 MPG.

L/100km (litres per 100 kilometres) is the standard fuel efficiency measurement used in most countries outside the US and UK. It tells you how many litres of fuel your car uses to travel 100 km. A lower number means better fuel economy. For example, 6 L/100km is more efficient than 10 L/100km. To convert from km/L to L/100km: L/100km = 100 / (km per litre).

To reduce fuel costs: maintain steady speeds (use cruise control on highways), keep tires properly inflated, remove excess weight from the car, avoid aggressive acceleration and braking, plan routes to avoid traffic, combine errands into fewer trips, keep up with regular maintenance, and consider carpooling. Driving at 90 km/h instead of 120 km/h can improve fuel efficiency by 15-25%.