How do I calculate my fuel cost?
Let us know how far you're driving and we'll calculate how much it's going to cost you to get there. Try our fuel cost calculator.
Quick Fuel Cost Calculator
Quickly find out how much your journey will cost. Simply enter a few simple details about your vehicle and we’ll let you know how much it will cost to get from A to B.
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Let's find out how much you might spend on fuel.
Just pop in a few details to get started.
How do I use the fuel cost calculator?
You can use the fuel cost calculator to work out the cost of a single trip or an estimate of your annual fuel bill.
For a single trip
Step one: Choose your fuel type, whether that’s petrol, diesel or electric.
Step two: Select ‘single trip’.
Step three: Input where you’re travelling from and to.
Step four: Tell us what pence per litre price you normally pay for fuel or use our calculator’s default setting, which is the current UK national average fuel price. Or, if you have an electric car with a home charger, input the price per kWh your electricity provider charges. If you don’t know it, our calculator will use an average electricity cost.
Step five: Enter your car’s miles per gallon (mpg) figure or miles per kilowatt hour (kWh) based on your car’s trip computer. But don’t worry if you don’t have it, you can use the average figures already supplied by the calculator.
Step six: See how much your trip will cost as a single trip or on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis.
For annual mileage
Step one: Choose your fuel type, whether that’s petrol, diesel or electric.
Step two: Select ‘annual mileage’.
Step three: Put in an estimate of your annual mileage. Our annual mileage calculator can help.
Step four: Tell us what pence per litre price you normally pay for fuel or use our calculator’s default setting, which is the current UK national average fuel price. Or, if you have an electric car with a home charger, input the price per kWh electricity provider charges. If you don’t know it, our calculator will use an average electricity cost.
Step five: Enter your car’s miles per gallon (mpg) figure or miles per kilowatt hour (kWh) based on your car’s trip computer. But don’t worry if you don’t have it, you can use the average figures already supplied by the calculator.
Step six: See how much your estimated annual mileage will cost over the year or by day, week or month.
How do I save fuel when driving?
Drive smoothly: Avoid harsh acceleration and heavy braking; anticipate what’s happening on the road ahead. If you’re in an electric car, easing off the accelerator as you approach traffic lights will help make the most of regenerative braking. If you’re in a manual petrol or diesel car, maintain a steady speed and shift up a gear early to keep revs low.
Check tyre pressures: Underinflated tyres increase rolling resistance and fuel use. If you’re driving an electric car it could significantly affect your car’s range. You should check your tyre pressures at least once a month.
Lighten the load and reduce drag: Remove unnecessary items from the boot and take off roof racks/boxes when they’re not needed.
Plan journeys: Avoid congested routes or plan where to stop to refuel or recharge with apps like Google Maps or Waze. If you’re in a petrol or diesel car you’ll want to stick to motorways but in an electric car you’ll be better off with stop-start city driving to maximize regenerative braking.
Use air conditioning wisely: At low speeds open windows instead; at higher speeds keep windows closed and use AC moderately. If you’re driving an electric car you can usually get your car’s cabin to the right temperature before you start your journey using a connected smartphone app - this is known as preconditioning.
Put your car in eco mode: If your car has different driving modes, choose the most fuel or energy efficient setting. It’s usually named eco mode.
How else can I save on my driving costs?
Shopping around for car insurance can help cut the cost of running a car. You could save up to £514
Author
Sarah Tooze
Car & Van Insurance Expert
Sarah Tooze has been a motoring journalist for more than 15 years, specialising in company cars and vans, and has won a number of awards during her career, including the Newspress ‘Automotive...
Reviewer
Beth Leslie
Senior Insurance Content Editor
Beth is an experienced writer and editor who specialises in financial and economic content. She is currently the Senior Insurance Content Editor for MoneySuperMarket. Beth is passionate about making...
