Car & Vehicle

Fuel Cost Calculator

Fuel needed and what it costs for any trip, from distance, mileage and the pump price - in kilometres or miles, km/L or mpg.

7 inputs Free, no sign-up

Your figures

One way. Tick the box below if you are coming back the same way.

Use the figure you actually get, not the showroom one. City driving commonly lands 20-30% below a rated number, and the mileage calculator works yours out from a tank.

The price you actually paid. Pump prices move daily and differ by several rupees between states, so the round number here is a placeholder, not a quote.

Tick to count the journey twice.

Try an example

Result

Your result

Enter your figures and the result appears here.

Estimates only. Rates, fees and specifications change. Confirm against the official source before you rely on a figure — see our disclaimer.

About this calculator

Fuel cost for a journey is three numbers: how far, how efficient, how expensive. Enter them and this calculator gives the litres you will burn, what that costs, and your cost per kilometre — the figure worth knowing if you are comparing vehicles or claiming travel.

Distance goes in as kilometres or miles, and mileage in km/L, L/100 km or either kind of mpg. Nothing is assumed about your vehicle: every figure in the result comes from one you typed.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the distance, and say whether it is kilometres or miles.
  2. Enter your vehicle's real mileage and pick the unit it is in. Use what you actually achieve, not the rated figure — city driving usually lands 20–30% below it.
  3. Enter the current fuel price per litre.
  4. Tick "there and back" for a return trip, or set the number of times you are making it.
  5. Read the fuel needed, the cost, and the per-kilometre figure.

Not sure of your real mileage? Work it out with the mileage calculator from your last full tank.

The formula

Fuel needed  = Distance / Mileage
Fuel cost    = Fuel needed x Fuel price
Cost per km  = Fuel price / Mileage

Cost per kilometre does not depend on the distance at all — it is a property of the vehicle and the fuel price, which is why it is the right number for comparing two cars.

Mileage entered in another unit is converted to km/L first. That conversion is a reciprocal for L/100 km rather than a multiplication: 20 km/L is 5 L/100 km, not 2,000 and not 0.2. The mileage converter shows all four side by side.

SymbolMeaningUnit
Distance Length of the journey km or mi
Mileage Distance covered per litre km/L, L/100 km or mpg
Fuel price Current pump price per litre ₹/L

Worked example

A 500 km trip in a car that returns 20 km/L, with petrol at ₹100 a litre:

Fuel needed = 500 / 20        = 25 litres
Fuel cost   = 25 x 100        = 2,500
Cost per km = 100 / 20        = 5.00

₹2,500 one way, ₹5,000 there and back.

Notes and limits

  • This covers fuel only. Tolls, parking and wear are on top, and on a long highway trip tolls can be a third of the fuel cost again. The road trip cost calculator adds them.
  • Mileage varies a great deal with load, air conditioning, tyre pressure and traffic. Treat the result as a planning estimate.
  • CNG is priced per kilogram rather than per litre. The arithmetic is identical if you enter km/kg as km/L and the price per kilogram.
  • For an electric vehicle, use the EV charging cost calculator, which works in kWh and allows for charging losses.

What this calculation assumes

  • Mileage is constant over the whole journey.
  • Only fuel is counted - tolls, parking and maintenance are not included.
  • Every figure in the result comes from one you entered. No mileage, tank size or fuel price is assumed.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate fuel cost for a trip?

Divide the distance by your mileage to get the litres needed, then multiply by the price per litre. For a 500 km trip at 20 km/L and ₹100 per litre, that is 25 litres and ₹2,500.

Should I use the rated mileage or my real mileage?

Your real mileage. Manufacturer figures come from a standardised test cycle and are usually 20-30% above what city driving delivers. Measure your own from a full tank and use that.

Can I enter the distance in miles?

Yes. Pick miles from the unit selector next to the distance and the conversion is handled for you at exactly 1.609344 km per mile.

Does this work for CNG or an electric vehicle?

For CNG, yes - enter efficiency in km/kg and the price per kilogram, because the arithmetic is the same. For an EV, use the EV charging cost calculator instead, since charging losses mean the energy you pay for is more than the energy that reaches the battery.

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