Fuel Cost Per Mile Calculator
Calculate how much your vehicle costs to drive per mile based on fuel price and fuel economy.
How to use this tool
- Enter the current price of fuel per gallon.
- Enter your vehicle's fuel economy in MPG.
- The calculator returns cost per mile and cost per 100 miles.
Find your true per-mile driving cost to compare vehicles or plan a budget.
Formula
Cost per mile ($/mile) = Fuel price ($/gal) ÷ Fuel economy (MPG)
Cost per 100 miles ($) = Cost per mile × 100
How it works
This calculator divides the price of a gallon of fuel by the vehicle's fuel economy rating to find the fuel expenditure for every mile driven. The cost-per-100-miles figure makes it easy to compare vehicles with very different efficiency levels. Results are based on the stated fuel price and MPG; real-world consumption can vary 10–20% from EPA ratings due to driving style, load, and conditions.
Worked example
Worked example
- Fuel price = $3.50 per gallon; fuel economy = 28 MPG.
- Cost per mile = $3.50 ÷ 28 = $0.125.
- Cost per 100 miles = $0.125 × 100 = $12.50.
Cost per mile = $0.125; Cost per 100 miles = $12.50
Key terms
- MPG (Miles Per Gallon)
- A measure of fuel economy indicating how many miles a vehicle travels on one US gallon of fuel.
- Fuel cost per mile
- The fuel expenditure attributed to each mile driven, calculated by dividing fuel price by fuel economy.
- EPA fuel economy rating
- The official US Environmental Protection Agency estimate of a vehicle's MPG under standardised city and highway test cycles.
- Cost per 100 miles
- Total fuel cost for a 100-mile journey; useful for side-by-side comparison of vehicles with different efficiency levels.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I calculate fuel cost per mile?
- Divide the price per gallon by your MPG. For example, $3.50/gal ÷ 28 MPG = $0.125 per mile ($12.50 per 100 miles).
- What is the IRS mileage rate?
- The IRS standard mileage rate covers fuel, maintenance, and depreciation. For 2025 it is 70 cents per mile for business use. Fuel cost alone is typically 10–20 cents per mile.