Fuel Cost Calculator

Estimate trip fuel expenses and monthly petrol costs based on your distance, vehicle efficiency, and current fuel price. Supports km/L, L/100km, and MPG.

Optional — enter number of times you make this trip each month for recurring cost projection

Fuel Cost Estimate

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Total trip cost
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Fuel required
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Fuel cost
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Cost per km

How the Fuel Cost Calculator Works

This calculator estimates your fuel expenses for any trip based on three key inputs: trip distance, your vehicle's fuel efficiency, and the current fuel price. It supports three efficiency units — km/L (standard in India), L/100km (common in Europe), and MPG (used in the US and UK) — with automatic conversion between them.

For recurring trips such as a daily commute, enter the number of trips per month to get daily, weekly, monthly, and annual fuel cost projections. You can also add optional extra costs like tolls, parking fees, and a maintenance allocation per trip for a complete picture of your actual travel expenses.

Fuel Cost Formula

Fuel Required (litres) = Distance (km) ÷ Efficiency (km/L)
Fuel Cost (₹) = Fuel Required × Fuel Price (₹/L)
Total Trip Cost = Fuel Cost + Tolls + Parking + Maintenance
Cost per km = Total Trip Cost ÷ Distance

Unit conversions used internally:

  • L/100km to km/L: km/L = 100 ÷ L/100km
  • MPG (US) to km/L: km/L = MPG × 0.4251

For round trips, the distance is doubled before calculating fuel needed. All costs are in Indian Rupees (₹).

Example Calculation

Delhi to Agra road trip (one-way)

Distance: 230 km

Vehicle efficiency: 15 km/L

Fuel price: ₹103 / litre

Fuel needed: 230 ÷ 15 = 15.33 litres

Fuel cost: 15.33 × ₹103 = ₹1,579

Extras: ₹200 tolls + ₹50 parking = ₹250

Total trip cost: ₹1,829

Cost per km: ₹1,829 ÷ 230 = ₹7.95 / km

Daily office commute (monthly projection)

One-way distance: 25 km (set to Round Trip = 50 km/trip)

Efficiency: 18 km/L (city driving)

Fuel price: ₹106 / litre

Fuel per trip: 50 ÷ 18 = 2.78 litres = ₹294.40

22 trips/month (office days): ₹6,477 / month

Annual fuel cost: ₹77,720

Common Use Cases

  • Daily Commute Planning — Know exactly how much your office commute costs each month so you can budget and compare with public transport alternatives.
  • Road Trip Budgeting — Plan fuel costs for long-distance trips to hill stations, pilgrimages, or family visits before you leave home.
  • Comparing Petrol vs Diesel — Enter the same distance and efficiency but different fuel prices to see how much you save by choosing diesel or CNG.
  • Efficiency Comparison — Run the calculator with your old car's efficiency vs a new model to see the annual fuel savings from upgrading.
  • Delivery & Commercial Use — Auto-rickshaw, cab, and delivery drivers can estimate monthly fuel costs based on daily distances to manage business expenses.
  • EV vs Petrol Comparison — Compare this calculator’s output for a petrol vehicle against electricity cost per km to evaluate the savings from switching to an EV.

Frequently Asked Questions

Fuel cost = (Distance ÷ Fuel Efficiency) × Fuel Price. For example, a 100 km trip at 15 km/L with ₹103/L fuel costs (100 ÷ 15) × 103 = 6.67 L × ₹103 = ₹687. For a round trip, double the distance before calculating. Add tolls, parking, and maintenance for the complete trip cost.
Fill your tank completely and reset the trip odometer. Drive normally. When the fuel is low, refuel and note the litres added. Efficiency = km driven ÷ litres added. Most modern cars and bikes also display real-time mileage on the dashboard. ARAI-rated efficiency figures are a useful starting point but real-world mileage is typically 10-20% lower.
km/L (kilometres per litre) tells you how far you travel on one litre — higher is better. L/100km (litres per 100 kilometres) tells you how much fuel you need to travel 100 km — lower is better. To convert: L/100km = 100 ÷ km/L. For example, 15 km/L = 6.67 L/100km. Indian vehicles are typically rated in km/L.
To convert US MPG to km/L, multiply by 0.4251. For example, 35 MPG = 35 × 0.4251 = 14.88 km/L. This calculator handles the conversion automatically when you select MPG as the efficiency unit — you just enter the MPG value and the fuel price in ₹ per litre.
Petrol prices in India vary by city and change periodically. As of early 2026, petrol costs approximately ₹90–110 per litre in most cities, while diesel is around ₹80–95 per litre. Check the official OMC websites (iocl.com, bpcl.com, hpcl.com) or Google for your city’s current fuel price before entering it in the calculator.
Maintain proper tyre pressure (under-inflated tyres can reduce mileage by 3–5%), service your vehicle regularly (air filter, spark plugs, engine oil), drive at steady highway speeds (60–80 km/h is often optimal), avoid aggressive acceleration and hard braking, limit AC usage in city traffic, and combine multiple errands in one trip. Carpooling can cut your per-person fuel cost in half.
For a realistic trip budget, include highway tolls (check the NHAI FASTag app for accurate toll amounts), parking charges at your destination, and a prorated maintenance allowance per trip (many drivers budget ₹0.50–₹1 per km for tyres, oil, and service). For long trips, also account for driver meals and rest-stop snacks.
Enter your one-way commute distance, select Round Trip (since you travel both ways), enter your vehicle’s efficiency and fuel price, then enter your monthly working days (typically 22–24) in the Trips per Month field. The calculator will show your daily average, weekly, monthly, and annual fuel expense projections automatically.

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Important Notes

This calculator provides an estimate based on the inputs provided. Real-world fuel consumption varies based on driving conditions, traffic, vehicle load, tyre condition, air conditioning usage, and driving style. City mileage is typically 15–25% lower than highway mileage.

Fuel prices in India are revised periodically by oil marketing companies. Always check the current price at your local pump before budgeting for a trip.

For CNG or electric vehicles, adjust the efficiency unit accordingly — enter CNG consumption in equivalent km/kg (treating kg as litres) or use cost per km directly in the maintenance field.