Fuel Economy Calculator: How to Calculate Your Car’s MPG and Save Money at the Pump

With gas prices constantly fluctuating, knowing your car’s actual fuel economy is one of the best ways to manage your driving budget. The EPA sticker on a new car gives an estimate, but real-world fuel economy depends on your driving habits, terrain, vehicle maintenance, and even the weather. Our free Fuel Economy Calculator helps you calculate your actual MPG (miles per gallon) or L/100km accurately.

How to Calculate Your Car’s MPG

Calculating fuel economy requires just two data points: distance driven and fuel consumed.

1. Fill your tank completely and reset your trip odometer to zero.
2. Drive normally until your next fill-up — the more miles, the more accurate the result.
3. Fill the tank again and note two things: gallons (or liters) pumped and miles (or km) on the trip odometer.
4. Calculate: MPG = Miles driven ÷ Gallons used. L/100km = (Liters used ÷ Km driven) × 100.

Example: You drove 340 miles and pumped 12.5 gallons. Your MPG = 340 ÷ 12.5 = 27.2 MPG.

Use the Fuel Economy Calculator to skip the manual math and get instant results in MPG, L/100km, or km/L.

Fuel Economy Benchmarks by Vehicle Type

Vehicle Type	City MPG	Highway MPG	Combined MPG
Compact car (e.g., Honda Civic)	30–35	38–42	33–37
Midsize sedan (e.g., Toyota Camry)	25–30	34–39	28–33
SUV (e.g., Honda CR-V)	22–28	28–34	25–30
Pickup truck (e.g., Ford F-150)	18–24	22–28	20–25
Hybrid (e.g., Toyota Prius)	50–58	48–56	49–57
Electric vehicle (MPGe)	120–140	90–110	100–130

6 Ways to Improve Your Fuel Economy

• Check tire pressure monthly: Under-inflated tires increase rolling resistance, lowering MPG by up to 3%.
• Remove roof racks when not in use: Roof racks create drag that reduces highway MPG by 5–15%.
• Avoid aggressive acceleration and braking: Quick starts and hard stops can lower MPG by 15–30% on the highway.
• Use cruise control on highways: Maintaining a steady speed improves fuel efficiency by 10–20%.
• Reduce idling: Idling consumes 0.2–0.5 gallons of fuel per hour. Turn off the engine if stopped for more than a minute.
• Keep up with maintenance: A clean air filter, proper oil viscosity, and functioning spark plugs all contribute to optimal fuel economy.

Fuel Cost Estimation

Once you know your actual MPG, estimating trip fuel costs is simple:

Fuel Cost = (Trip Distance ÷ MPG) × Price per Gallon

Example: A 500-mile road trip at 28 MPG with gas at $3.50/gallon costs (500 ÷ 28) × $3.50 = $62.50.

Use the Fuel Economy Calculator to calculate your MPG, then estimate costs for your next trip. Small improvements in fuel economy add up to significant savings over a year of driving.