{
  "slug": "gas-trip-cost",
  "title": "Gas Trip Cost Calculator",
  "heading": "Road Trip Gas Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/gas-trip-cost",
  "summary": "Fuel cost for a trip, split between passengers.",
  "description": "Highway speed matters more than people expect: most cars lose 10–15% fuel economy going from 65 to 80 mph, which can add a full tank on a long drive.",
  "formula": "Cost = Distance ÷ MPG × Price per gallon.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=gas-trip-cost",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "distance",
      "label": "Trip distance (miles)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 600,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "mpg",
      "label": "Fuel economy (MPG)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 30,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "price",
      "label": "Gas price per gallon",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3.6,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "roundTrip",
      "label": "Trip type",
      "kind": "select",
      "hint": null,
      "default": "round",
      "options": [
        {
          "value": "one",
          "label": "One way"
        },
        {
          "value": "round",
          "label": "Round trip"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "people",
      "label": "People splitting the cost",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "cost",
      "label": "Total fuel cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "perPerson",
      "label": "Cost per person",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "gallons",
      "label": "Gallons needed",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "miles",
      "label": "Total miles driven",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "perMile",
      "label": "Fuel cost per mile",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "fillups",
      "label": "Approximate fill-ups (14 gal tank)",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Trip distance (miles): 600",
      "Fuel economy (MPG): 30",
      "Gas price per gallon: 3.6 $",
      "Trip type: Round trip",
      "People splitting the cost: 2"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total fuel cost: $144.00",
      "Cost per person: $72.00",
      "Gallons needed: 40",
      "Total miles driven: 1,200",
      "Fuel cost per mile: $0.12",
      "Approximate fill-ups (14 gal tank): 2.9"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter trip distance (miles).",
      "Enter fuel economy (mpg).",
      "Enter gas price per gallon ($).",
      "Enter trip type.",
      "Enter people splitting the cost.",
      "Read your total fuel cost on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "distance": 360,
        "mpg": 18,
        "price": 2.16,
        "roundTrip": "round",
        "people": 1
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "distance": 600,
        "mpg": 30,
        "price": 3.6,
        "roundTrip": "round",
        "people": 2
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "distance": 960,
        "mpg": 48,
        "price": 5.760000000000001,
        "roundTrip": "round",
        "people": 3
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the road trip gas cost calculator work?",
      "a": "Highway speed matters more than people expect: most cars lose 10–15% fuel economy going from 65 to 80 mph, which can add a full tank on a long drive. The underlying maths is: Cost = Distance ÷ MPG × Price per gallon."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "5 values: trip distance (miles), fuel economy (mpg), gas price per gallon, trip type, and people splitting the cost. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the total fuel cost result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/mpg",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-per-mile",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ev-vs-gas"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Gas Trip Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/gas-trip-cost)"
}