Road Trip Calculator
Plan a multi-stop road trip: add each leg's miles, your MPG, and gas price for total fuel cost, miles, and drive time.
Driving somewhere with stops along the way? Add each leg of your road trip separately, enter your car's MPG, the gas price, and your average speed to get the full picture: total miles, gallons of fuel, total fuel cost, and total driving time.
Trip legs (miles each)
How to use this calculator
- Enter the miles for each leg of your trip (add or remove legs as needed).
- Enter your car's real-world MPG and the gas price per gallon.
- Enter your expected average speed in mph.
- Press Calculate for total fuel cost, miles, gallons, and drive time.
The formula
Total miles = sum of legs; gallons = miles ÷ MPG; cost = gallons × price; time = miles ÷ avg speed
Worked example
Legs of 200, 150, and 100 miles total 450 miles. At 25 MPG and $3.50/gallon that's 18 gallons and $63.00 in fuel, with about 7 hours 30 minutes of driving at 60 mph.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I estimate fuel for a road trip with multiple stops?
Add up the miles for every leg of your trip — or enter each leg separately here and let the calculator total them. Divide total miles by your car's real-world MPG to get gallons needed, then multiply by the gas price. Enter your expected average speed and you'll also get total drive time, which helps you plan overnight stops.
What average speed should I use?
For mostly highway driving, 60–65 mph is realistic once you account for traffic, construction, and fuel stops. For mixed city/highway routes, drop to 45–50 mph. The drive-time estimate is wheels-turning time only — add your planned stops on top.
How much extra should I budget beyond fuel?
Fuel is usually the biggest variable cost, but don't forget tolls, parking, food, and lodging. A common rule of thumb is to budget the fuel cost again for food and add lodging separately per night. Our travel budget calculator can total the whole trip.
Does driving faster use more gas?
Yes — aerodynamic drag grows with the square of speed, so fuel economy falls off quickly above about 55–60 mph. Dropping from 75 to 65 mph on the highway can improve MPG by 10–15%, which on a long trip saves real money. Steady cruise-control driving at moderate speed is the cheapest way to cover distance.