Work out how much petrol or diesel you need for a UK journey. Enter your distance in miles, measured Imperial mpg and price in pounds per litre to calculate your fuel cost and pence per mile.
Planning regular travel to work? Use the UK monthly office commute calculator.
Enter the complete journey distance, including the return leg if needed. Defaults are illustrative examples, not live pump prices.
100 miles at 50 Imperial mpg uses about 9.09 litres. At an illustrative GBP 1.50 per litre, fuel costs GBP 13.64.
For an out-and-back journey of 100 miles each way, enter 200 miles. If your distance already includes both directions, do not double it again.
Enter UK Imperial mpg, not US mpg. Convert a pump price of 150 pence per litre to GBP 1.50/L. The Imperial gallon is 4.54609 litres.
Miles ÷ Imperial mpg × 4.54609 = litres. Multiply fuel used by your actual price per litre. The result covers fuel only.
Using the illustrative inputs above, a vehicle achieving 50 Imperial mpg at £1.50 per litre costs about 13.64 pence per mile in petrol alone. A 200-mile journey uses approximately 18.18 litres and costs £27.28. Your own results will change with driving conditions, measured mpg and the price at the pump.
Method: divide miles by Imperial mpg to get Imperial gallons, multiply by 4.54609 to convert to litres, then multiply by your price per litre. Divide the resulting pound amount by miles and multiply by 100 if you want pence per mile.
For travel to and from work, use the UK monthly commuting calculator to include working days and compare the fuel budget with any employer allowance. Petrol cost per mile is not the same as an HMRC mileage-allowance rate: the latter is a different concept.
Calculate urban and highway legs separately using the measured economy for each, then add their fuel costs. If you expect different pump prices along the route, budget each leg at its expected price instead of treating one national average as a quote for every stop.
For a side-by-side unit-cost comparison, open the city versus highway comparison and select UK. Enter your measured efficiency; brochure figures may not reflect traffic, temperature, load or AC use.
Dashboard mpg is useful for a quick estimate, but a measured full-to-full refill can give a better baseline. Fill the tank, record the odometer, drive normally and refill to the same level. Divide miles travelled by the litres used, then multiply by 4.54609 to obtain UK Imperial mpg. Include any intermediate fuel purchases in the litres total.
Worked example: 360 miles on 36 litres gives 10 miles per litre, or about 45.46 Imperial mpg. At an illustrative £1.50 per litre, fuel costs £54, equivalent to 15 pence per mile. This is an arithmetic example, not a live fuel price or a promise of vehicle efficiency.
One Imperial gallon contains approximately 4.54609 litres; one US gallon contains approximately 3.78541 litres. A figure of 40 US mpg is approximately 48.0 Imperial mpg for the same physical fuel consumption. Entering a US mpg rating directly into this UK calculator would overstate the expected fuel spend. Convert the rating first or use your own measured UK mpg.
For a return commute, enter the total miles driven, not just the one-way distance. For reimbursement decisions, compare this fuel-only estimate with the separate rules that apply to your employer or HMRC mileage claims; a reimbursement rate is not a petrol price.
Add parking, tolls and any accommodation separately. Servicing, tyres, insurance and depreciation are ownership costs; this fuel estimate does not include them. Keep a fuel estimate separate from an employer mileage reimbursement rate.
For maps and vehicle-based estimates, open UK route and vehicle tools. For recurring journeys, use monthly office commuting costs.
Yes. Enter your diesel pump price and measured diesel vehicle economy. The reference panel is labelled petrol/gasoline; do not apply it to diesel without replacing the price.
Idling, traffic, weather, detours and a different fuel grade can change consumption or price. Run a conservative efficiency scenario and compare it with your normal measured average.
Enter pounds per litre (GBP), not pence. For example, if a forecourt displays 150 pence per litre, enter 1.50 in the calculator. Use UK Imperial mpg rather than US mpg.
Content and calculation method reviewed . About MyDriveCost and methodology. This review date is separate from any fuel-price reference date.
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