Road Trip Cost Calculator
Enter the trip distance, your car’s fuel economy and the price of fuel or electricity: you will see what the trip costs, tolls and extras included, and what each person pays. No maps: your destinations are never sent anywhere.
More options
Enter the price to see the cost.
- 690 km driven
- 41.4 L
- Each
- —
- Fuel
- —
- Of which, driving around
- —
- Tolls
- $0.00
- Ferry
- $0.00
- Car
- $0.00
- Other costs
- $0.00
Results are estimates. Solvemis accepts no responsibility for the results obtained or for how they are used. This is an estimate based on the figures you enter: tolls, prices and real fuel use can change.
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How it works
How to use it
- Choose a single trip (one way or round trip) or several stops, and enter the distance and tolls of each leg.
- Choose the type of car and enter its fuel economy and the price of fuel or electricity.
- Under «More options», add driving around, other costs, the car cost and how many people are going.
- Read the total and each person’s share, and share it or download it as PDF or CSV.
How it is calculated
Fuel: the road distance with the detour margin, plus the distance driven around, times consumption (with the extra, if you add one), times the fuel price. For electric, the same with energy use and the price per kWh; for a plug-in hybrid, the electric distance uses electricity and the rest uses fuel. Ferry legs use no fuel: their ticket counts instead. Unit conversions use the mile (1.609344 km), the US gallon (3.785411784 L) and the imperial gallon (4.54609 L). Tolls, ferries, the car and other costs are added, and the total is split equally, rounded up.
Sources
- NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement — National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1 — UK Government (legislation.gov.uk)
- NIST SP 811 (2008): Guide for the Use of the International System of Units, Appendix B — National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
About this calculator
Why we don’t ask for your start and destination
Getting the distance would mean sending your route to a map service, which tells a third party where you are going. Nothing is sent here: you enter the distance from your map app, and the detour margin covers the extra driving. The place names are only for you and the PDF.
Your car’s fuel economy
The most reliable figure is the average your car’s trip computer shows on similar trips. The official rating usually falls short on the highway, with a loaded car or with the air conditioning on: that is what the extra under «More options» is for.
Traveling as a group
The calculator splits everything equally. If the car belongs to one of you, you can pay them back with a fixed amount or per km; if it is a rental, add the rental. With rounding, the driver keeps what is left over, since they usually pay for the fuel and tolls up front.
Frequently asked questions
How do you work out the gas for a road trip?
Distance times consumption per 100 km, divided by 100: 600 km at 6 L/100 km is 36 liters, and at 1.60 a liter that is 57.60. Then it adds tolls, ferries, the car cost and other costs.
On a round trip, do I enter the distance and tolls for both ways?
No: enter the outbound ones and the calculator counts them twice, as the ×2 on the drawing shows. If the way back takes another road or has other tolls, choose «Several stops» and enter each leg.
What detour margin should I use?
Whatever you think fits. The distance on the map leaves out the extra driving: in practice there is always a detour, a stop or a loop to park. 15 and 25% are quick shortcuts, not a measured figure. It only applies to road distance, not to ferries or driving around.
What if my car is electric or a plug-in hybrid?
For an electric car, its energy use times the price per kWh: your home rate if you charge at home, or the charger price elsewhere. For a plug-in hybrid, enter the distance you will drive on electric (a full battery when you leave plus what you charge on the way or at your destination); the rest goes on fuel.
How is the cost split?
Equally between everyone, the driver included. To avoid small change, everyone pays the amount rounded up and the driver keeps what is left over. Under «More options» you can add the rental or what you give the car’s owner.
Updated October 26, 2026
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