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Work out the fuel or charging cost of a trip, or your regular driving. Compare petrol, diesel, LPG and an EV using your own prices.
Enter the trip distance or your total kilometres for the period below.
Leave return trip off if your distance already includes both ways.
Enter a distance, consumption and price. Choose a regular period to see weekly, fortnightly and yearly costs.
General information only. These are estimates from your inputs, not a tax deduction or a total vehicle running cost.
This is a made-up weekly commute comparison, not a vehicle rating or a current price. Both vehicles travel 200 km per week, including the trip home.
Petrol use is 8 L/100km, at 200 cents per litre. That works out to $32.00 per week, $64.00 per fortnight and $1,664.00 per year.
EV use is 16 kWh/100km, at 30 cents per kWh. That works out to $9.60 per week, $19.20 per fortnight and $499.20 per year. No extra charging loss is added.
The EV's energy cost is $1,164.80 less per year in this example. Changing either price or consumption changes the gap. This does not compare the cost of owning the vehicles.
Estimates only. Not financial or tax advice. Full disclaimer for your rights and our limitations of liability.
This calculator exists to show you the arithmetic. It applies published Australian rates, thresholds and formulas to the numbers you enter and shows the working, so you can check it. That is all it does — it produces a number and describes what the number is. It does not recommend anything and it holds no opinion about any financial product.
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This calculator is not intended to be relied on for the purposes of making a decision in relation to a financial product. Before you make a financial decision, consider obtaining advice from someone who holds an Australian Financial Services Licence. We do not, and we cannot advise you.
General information only. Estimates cover fuel or charging energy, with the same price and driving assumed for regular periods.
This calculator is not intended to be relied on for the purposes of making a decision in relation to a financial product. Before you make a financial decision, consider obtaining advice from someone who holds an Australian Financial Services Licence. We do not, and we cannot advise you.
Work out how much fuel or charging costs for the distance you drive. It uses the distance, consumption and price you enter. Petrol, diesel and LPG costs use the litres you need. EV costs use the electricity needed for the drive. You can add extra charging loss if your consumption figure leaves it out.
For a longer trip, a map can give you the distance, but detours and extra stops add kilometres. A return-trip switch doubles the entered distance. Leave it off for a round-trip total or for regular driving that already counts the drive home. The calculator uses your distance. It cannot check your route.
Regular budgets use 52 weeks, 26 fortnights and 12 equal months per year. This keeps each budget period consistent. Holidays, days away and changing fuel prices can make the actual annual bill different. Costs use the full fuel or electricity amount before rounding money to cents.
Vehicle labels help compare fuel or electricity use in standard lab tests. They do not reproduce every road, load or weather condition. Real-world use is often higher. Short trips, traffic, hills and heating or cooling can change consumption. There is no set increase for road use. The difference depends on your driving and vehicle.
Enter the price for each kilowatt-hour of electricity you use. Home charging, public charging and fast charging can have very different rates. Check your bill or the charging app for the rate that applies when you charge. This tool does not add daily supply charges, session fees or idle fees, so those need separate counting.
The estimate leaves out insurance, registration, servicing, loans and leases. It compares only fuel or charging costs. It does not rank vehicles or decide which one fits your needs. A lower charging bill alone does not mean a vehicle costs less to own.
Divide the trip distance by 100. Multiply by your car's L/100km, then by the price per litre in dollars. This gives the estimated fuel cost. You enter cents per litre. The calculator converts that price to dollars. Turn on return trip only when the distance is one way.
Use the fill-to-fill method. Fill the tank and reset the trip meter. At the next full fill, record the litres added and kilometres driven. Divide those litres by the kilometres, then multiply by 100. A tank's capacity alone does not tell you how much fuel the trip used. Repeat across several fills to get a clearer picture of your usual driving.
For km per litre, divide 100 by the km/L figure. For miles per gallon (MPG), check which gallon the source uses. Divide 282.481 by UK imperial MPG, or 235.215 by US MPG. The gallons are different sizes. A lower L/100km figure means less fuel used for the same distance.
The Green Vehicle Guide uses standard laboratory tests so vehicles can be compared under controlled conditions. Road use is often higher. Traffic, hills, weather, towing, air conditioning and how you accelerate can change it. The label is a reference, not a promise about every trip. Use your measured fuel use when you have it. The calculator does not increase the label figure for road use.
Multiply your kWh/100km by the electricity price in dollars per kWh. That estimates the energy cost for 100 km. Adding extra charging loss increases the electricity you need to buy. Green Vehicle Guide EV ratings already include charging losses. Leave extra loss at 0% for those ratings or charger-meter readings. Only add loss if your figure counts energy used from the battery alone. Home charging and public fast-charging prices can differ a lot. Fixed fees and idle fees are outside this estimate.
A work trip is not automatically deductible; the car expenses calculator explains the claim methods and limits.
For work-related deductions, use the Car Expense Calculator. This fuel estimate does not calculate a claim.