See the yearly and monthly fuel bill for how much you drive.
A fuel cost calculator estimates what a trip or your regular driving costs in gas, based on the distance, your vehicle's fuel economy (MPG), and the price per gallon. It's the quick way to compare routes, vehicles, or commutes.
Fuel cost is distance ÷ MPG × price per gallon, the gallons you'll burn times what they cost. Because MPG is in the denominator, it has an outsized effect: going from 20 to 40 MPG halves your fuel bill, a bigger lever than modest changes in gas price. That's why fuel economy is the number that matters most when comparing vehicles for a long commute.
Actual fuel economy is usually a bit below the EPA rating, and it varies with how you drive. Highway driving is typically more efficient than stop-and-go city traffic; aggressive acceleration, high speeds, heavy loads, cold weather, and running the A/C all cut MPG. For a realistic estimate, use your own observed miles-per-gallon from a few fill-ups rather than the window-sticker number.
Divide the distance by your MPG to get gallons used, then multiply by the price per gallon. The calculator does this for a trip, a week, or a month.
Your real-world figure is best, compute it from a few fill-ups. Actual mileage usually runs a little below the EPA rating and depends on how and where you drive.
Drive a more efficient vehicle, keep tires properly inflated, ease off hard acceleration and high speeds, and combine trips. MPG is the biggest lever on the total.
See the exact formula and a worked example on our methodology page.