Road Trip Cost Calculator
Calculate total fuel cost, travel time, and expenses for a road trip based on distance and fuel efficiency.
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How to use this calculator
Fuel needed in litres is distance divided by 100 multiplied by fuel efficiency (L/100 km). Multiply by the fuel price per litre to get the fuel cost. Add daily food costs (per person × passengers × days) and accommodation (per night × nights) to reach the total trip cost.
- 1
Enter the total driving distance in kilometres and your vehicle's fuel efficiency in litres per 100 km.
- 2
Set your average driving speed, number of passengers, and current fuel price per litre.
- 3
Fill in your daily food budget per person and accommodation cost per night, then review the full trip cost breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
How is the fuel cost calculated?
Fuel in litres = distance ÷ 100 × fuel efficiency (L/100 km). Cost = litres × price per litre. For 800 km at 8.0 L/100 km and 1.80 per litre: 64.0 L and 115.20.
How does the tool decide the number of days?
It divides drive time (distance ÷ average speed) by 8 and rounds up. 800 km at 100 km/h is exactly 8 hours, so 1 day; 2,400 km at 90 km/h is 26h 40m, so 4 days. The tool assumes 8 hours of driving per day and does not let you change that.
How are food and accommodation priced?
Food = daily food budget × passengers × days. Accommodation = nightly price × (days − 1), because the final day needs no overnight stay. A one-day trip has no accommodation cost, but still includes a full day of food.
Does "passengers" include the driver?
Yes, treat it as the total number of people sharing the cost. Cost per person is the total divided by that number. Enter 4 for a driver and three passengers. Values below 1 are treated as 1.
Which costs are missing?
Tolls, parking, ferries, vehicle wear, insurance, rental charges, breakdown cover and any sightseeing. Add them manually to the total. Fuel efficiency is the figure you enter; the tool does not adjust for load, speed, hills or air conditioning.
Does the drive time include stops?
No. It is distance divided by average speed, so rest stops, traffic and meals are not counted. Lower the average speed to account for them: 325 km at 80 km/h shows 4h 4m, whereas 60 km/h would show 5h 25m.
Can I use miles or gallons?
Not directly. The tool expects kilometres, litres per 100 km and a price per litre. Convert before entering, and note the cost fields are plain numbers in whichever currency you use.
Road trip cost calculator: fuel, food and overnight stops
The cost structure
A road trip budget in this tool has three parts. Fuel comes from distance and efficiency, so doubling either doubles the bill. Food scales with the people and the number of driving days, which is distance ÷ speed ÷ 8, rounded up. Accommodation scales with the nights, which are one fewer than the days. The sum is divided by passengers for the per-person figure. Currency is whatever you type in.
| Drive time | Days | Nights paid |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 8 hours | 1 | 0 |
| Over 8 up to 16 hours | 2 | 1 |
| Over 16 up to 24 hours | 3 | 2 |
| Over 24 up to 32 hours | 4 | 3 |
Worked examples
Each result below was obtained by running the tool.
| Inputs | Fuel | Drive time and days | Total | Per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 km, 8.0 L/100, 1.80/L, 100 km/h, 2 people, 40 food, 80 hotel | 64.0 L, 115.20 | 8h 0m, 1 day | 195.20 | 97.60 |
| 2,400 km, 9.5 L/100, 1.65/L, 90 km/h, 4 people, 35 food, 110 hotel | 228.0 L, 376.20 | 26h 40m, 4 days | 1,266.20 | 316.55 |
| 325 km, 6.2 L/100, 1.90/L, 80 km/h, 1 person, 40 food | 20.2 L, 38.29 | 4h 4m, 1 day | 78.28 | 78.28 |
How sharing changes the bill
The second trip costs 1,266.20 in total. Fuel is 376.20 of that, but food at 560.00 and rooms at 330.00 together are more than double the fuel. Shared by four people the per-person cost is 316.55, whereas the same drive done solo would carry the whole fuel bill and the same hotels. Because rooms are priced per night rather than per person, adding passengers lowers the cost per head, but food scales with each person.
Watch the day threshold
The day count jumps in steps. A trip of 8 hours 5 minutes is two days, so it adds a night of accommodation and a second day of food. If your plan is close to the limit, check whether a slightly higher average speed or a short detour changes the result. In the first example the trip lands exactly at 8 hours, so it is just inside the one-day threshold.
Improving the estimate
Replace the efficiency figure with a real-world value from your own fill-ups, since many drivers use more fuel than the label figure under load. Use the local price at the pump you expect to use, not an average. Add tolls, ferries and parking outside the tool. If you plan to drive less than 8 hours a day, run separate legs for each day to see a cost more tied to your itinerary. Also remember that the tool counts one full day of food even for a short single-day drive, so for a day trip you may prefer to subtract the meals you will not buy.
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Results are estimates for informational purposes only and do not constitute professional financial, medical, legal, or technical advice. Read full disclaimer →