Updated · Built and checked by the PlinzoTools team, formulas tested against published sources
Calculate the fuel cost per mile from fuel economy and price per gallon.
This tool calculates price per gallon ÷ MPG to find your cost per mile driven -- a useful per-mile figure for comparing vehicles, estimating mileage-based reimbursement costs, or budgeting a commute.
Enter your vehicle's MPG and the price per gallon. Your fuel cost per mile appears instantly.
The calculator divides the price of a gallon by the number of miles you get from that gallon. The result is displayed to three decimal places, since per-mile costs are small numbers and rounding to cents would hide useful differences. If MPG is zero or negative the tool returns zero.
Fuel cost per mile = price per gallon / MPG
At 3.50 dollars per gallon and 28 MPG, the fuel cost is 3.50 / 28 = 0.125 dollars, or 12.5 cents per mile. A vehicle that gets 20 MPG at the same price costs 0.175 dollars per mile, and one that gets 40 MPG costs 0.0875 dollars per mile. Over 12,000 miles in a year, the difference between 20 MPG and 40 MPG at this price would be about 1,050 dollars (2,100 versus 1,050 dollars). Multiplying your per-mile figure by yearly miles is an easy way to turn a small number into a budget line.
Fuel is only one part of what it costs to operate a vehicle. Maintenance, tires, insurance, registration, financing, and depreciation are also part of the total. Official reimbursement rates, such as the IRS standard mileage rate, are intended to cover a broad set of operating costs and are therefore higher than a fuel-only figure. Check IRS.gov for the current rate if you need it for taxes or reimbursement. A fuel-only per-mile result should not be used as if it were a complete cost or as a reimbursement rate.
The output is an estimate that depends on the accuracy of your inputs.
No -- this is fuel cost only. The IRS standard mileage rate (used for reimbursement) bundles in those other costs too and will be a higher per-mile figure than fuel alone.
Per-mile fuel costs are small, so three decimals reveal differences that rounding to cents would hide, such as 0.125 versus 0.130 dollars per mile.
Multiply the per-mile result by the miles you drive in a year. The result is an estimate that assumes steady MPG and price.
Not directly, because the tool is built around gallons and MPG. You would need a per-mile electricity cost based on kWh usage and electricity price.
No. Official mileage rates cover more than fuel. Confirm current rates and rules on IRS.gov or with a tax professional.
Reference: EPA Fuel Economy