Road Trip Cost Calculator
Enter your trip distance, car's fuel efficiency, and local gas price to instantly calculate one-way and round-trip fuel cost — split by passenger.
With 4 passengers, your per-person road trip fuel cost drops to a quarter of driving solo. Carpooling is one of the biggest easy wins in personal transport costs.
$3.50
Approximate average US regular gas price in 2026 — check local prices before a long trip
28 MPG
Approximate average fuel economy of new US passenger vehicles — highway driving is typically better
÷ people
Split the total cost evenly among all passengers — carpooling dramatically cuts per-person fuel cost
Get your road trip fuel budget right
Three things that affect your real-world fuel cost.
Highway MPG is higher than city MPG
Long highway drives are more fuel-efficient than city driving. If your car's combined EPA rating is 30 MPG, your highway MPG is likely 32–36 MPG. Use the highway figure for an accurate road trip estimate — otherwise you'll overestimate your fuel spend.
Carpooling is a massive cost multiplier
Driving solo costs $70 in fuel for a 300-mile round trip at 30 MPG and $3.50/gal. With 4 people, each person pays $17.50. The per-person cost drops almost four-fold for the same trip. This is why carpooling is one of the most impactful transport cost savings available.
Fuel is only 30–40% of road trip costs
Gas is often the most visible road trip cost but rarely the biggest. Accommodation, food, and tolls usually exceed fuel costs on multi-day trips. Use this calculator for fuel, then add $100–$150/person/day for a full trip budget estimate.
How the Road Trip Cost Calculator Works
Formula
Gallons (one way) = Distance (miles) / MPG
Gallons (round trip) = Gallons (one way) × 2
One-Way Cost = Gallons (one way) × Gas Price
Round-Trip Cost = Gallons (round trip) × Gas Price
Cost Per Person = Round-Trip Cost / PassengersEnter one-way distance
Miles from your starting point to destination. Check Google Maps or your navigation app for an accurate figure.
Set your fuel efficiency
Use your car's EPA highway rating for a road trip — this is typically 10–20% better than the combined rating.
Enter current gas price
Check GasBuddy, AAA, or Google Maps for local prices. National averages are a reliable fallback.
Add passengers for split
Set to 1 for solo travel. For group trips, the per-person cost updates automatically.
The formula is simple — distance divided by MPG gives gallons, multiplied by price gives cost. The power is in running it for different scenarios quickly: comparing routes, evaluating whether driving vs flying makes sense, or budgeting for a long trip with multiple legs.
For EV drivers: this calculator assumes a combustion engine. Electric vehicle range and charging costs vary by model and route. A rough EV equivalent: use kWh/100 miles from your vehicle spec, multiply by route miles, then multiply by your electricity rate (or average charging rate on the route).
Frequently Asked Questions
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