Travel Cost Calculator: Fuel, Electricity & Total Costs in Seconds
Calculate costs per trip and per kilometer – incl. consumption, fuel/electricity price, optional passenger splitting and additional fixed costs.
Inputs
Result
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
1) What counts as "extra costs"?
This is an optional flat fee per trip, e.g., parking fees, tolls, ferry, or a flat wear-and-tear surcharge. If you enter nothing, only energy (fuel/electricity) is calculated.
2) How is "Round Trip" calculated?
The distance is doubled. For "Multiple Trips," the distance is multiplied by the number of trips.
3) How accurate is the time estimate?
It is a simple approximation: Total Kilometers / Avg. Speed. Traffic jams, breaks, and city traffic are not included – use it as a rough guideline.
4) Can I handle Gas and Diesel differently?
Yes: You enter the appropriate price per liter and use the realistic consumption of the vehicle. The calculator is deliberately flexible and not tied to fixed fuel types.
5) What to consider for EVs?
Use the consumption in kWh/100 km and your real electricity price. For public fast charging, you can enter a higher price or use an extra cost flat fee.
6) How do I split costs fairly among passengers?
Enter the number of people sharing the costs. The calculator outputs "Cost per Person". If only you pay: 1 Person.
Explanation: How to use this Calculator correctly
This travel cost calculator is built to provide you with a realistic cost estimate in just a few seconds – exactly how one thinks in everyday life: What does the trip cost in total, what does it cost per kilometer, and what does each person pay if expenses are shared? You can use it to plan short errands as well as longer routes and use the results as a basis for agreements with passengers or for your own budget.
In the first step, you enter the Distance in kilometers. Then you choose the Trip Type: "One-way" means the distance is driven once. "Round Trip" doubles the distance automatically – practical for commuting or visits. "Multiple Trips" is ideal if you want to calculate e.g., several customer appointments or repeated delivery trips. In this mode, a field appears where you enter the Number of Trips. The calculator creates a total distance from this, which is then the basis for all costs.
Next, you decide on the Powertrain: "Gas/Diesel" or "Electric". For combustion engines, you use the Consumption in liters per 100 km and the Price per liter. For EVs, you enter the Consumption in kWh per 100 km and the Electricity price per kWh instead. The calculator uses this to calculate the required amount of energy for the total distance: (Consumption ÷ 100) × Kilometers. This energy amount is multiplied by the respective price so that you get the Energy costs.
Optionally, there are Extra costs per trip. With this, you can cover things that do not directly depend on consumption: parking tickets, tolls, ferries, or even your own flat rate for wear and tear. Important: These additional costs apply per trip (not per kilometer). So if you use "Multiple Trips," the extra costs are multiplied accordingly. This is often more realistic than a "per kilometer" estimate if fees are tied to individual trips.
The Passenger Split is the added value that saves the most time in practice. Simply enter how many people share the costs. The calculator divides the total costs by this number and immediately shows you the amount per person. If only you pay, leave the value at 1. Additionally, "Cost per Kilometer" is output – this helps to compare trips or to decide whether alternative means of transport are worthwhile.
For rough planning, there is also the Avg. Speed field. This calculates a Travel Time Estimate: Total Distance ÷ Speed. This does not replace route planning but is helpful to quickly get a feeling of whether an appointment will be tight on time or how long a multi-stop tour will approximately take.
The result panel shows you four key figures: Total Costs, Cost per Kilometer, Cost per Person, and Estimated Travel Time. Below that, you will find a clear breakdown text explaining how the amount is made up. In addition, the "Cost Intensity" visualizes the level of costs per kilometer with a dynamic bar display – so you can see at a glance whether the trip is rather cheap or expensive. Via "Copy Result" you can paste the most important numbers as text into WhatsApp, Email, or Notes. This turns a quick calculation directly into clean communication.
Travel Cost Calculator: Gas, Diesel & EV in One Tool
This calculator computes the precise cost of a single journey for combustion engine vehicles (gas/diesel) and electric vehicles. Switch between powertrains with one click — all inputs adapt automatically. It outputs four key metrics for easy comparison:
Total Trip Cost
Fuel/electricity cost + any extra costs (tolls, parking, ferry). For round trips: all costs × 2. For multiple trips: × number of trips entered.
Cost per km
Total cost ÷ total km traveled. The universal comparability metric — allows you to benchmark this trip against train, carpooling, or your annual car cost per km.
Cost per Person
Total cost ÷ number of passengers. At 4 passengers, most car trips become cheaper per person than train travel — the calculator makes this visible immediately.
Estimated Travel Time
Distance ÷ average speed. Enter your typical highway/mixed speed. Useful for total cost = money + time comparisons against alternatives.
Cost Comparison: Combustion vs. Electric for Common Trip Types
At current German fuel and electricity prices (February 2026), here is how the two powertrains compare across typical trip scenarios:
| Trip | Distance | Gas (1.75 €/l, 7l/100km) | EV (0.35 €/kWh, 18kWh/100km) | EV saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City commute (round trip) | 30 km | 3.68 € | 1.89 € | ~49% |
| Weekend trip (100 km) | 100 km | 12.25 € | 6.30 € | ~49% |
| Berlin → Hamburg | 290 km | 35.53 € | 18.27 € | ~49% |
| Munich → Frankfurt | 395 km | 48.40 € | 24.88 € | ~49% |
| EV with home PV solar (0 €/kWh) | 100 km | 12.25 € | ~0 € | ~100% |
| EV with public fast charging (0.75 €/kWh) | 100 km | 12.25 € | 13.50 € | −10% (more expensive!) |
The last row is the key insight: EV is only cheaper than gas when charged at home or at slow AC chargers. DC fast charging at public stations (0.65–0.85 €/kWh typical in Germany) costs more per km than petrol. Always enter your actual charging price for an honest comparison.
Realistic Consumption Inputs by Vehicle Type
The accuracy of the result depends entirely on entering realistic consumption figures. Here are reference values for common vehicles as a starting point:
| Vehicle type | Realistic consumption | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small petrol car (VW Polo, Fiat 500) | 5.5–7.0 l/100km | City: up to 8.5; highway: down to 5.5 |
| Mid-size petrol (VW Golf, Audi A3) | 6.5–8.5 l/100km | Mixed cycle; SUV variants add ~1.5 l |
| Diesel SUV | 6.0–8.5 l/100km | More efficient on highway; worse in city |
| Compact EV (VW ID.3, Renault Zoe) | 14–17 kWh/100km | Summer; winter +20–35% due to heating |
| Mid-size EV (Tesla Model 3, BMW i4) | 16–20 kWh/100km | Highway at 130 km/h: +25–30% vs. city |
| EV SUV (Tesla Model Y, Ioniq 5) | 19–24 kWh/100km | Most popular segment; higher aerodynamic drag |
Tip for EV users: Enter the real-world winter consumption if you are planning a cold-weather trip — not the WLTP specification. For a Tesla Model Y in German winter conditions, 22–26 kWh/100km is realistic at highway speeds, which significantly changes the cost calculation vs. summer figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the "Cost Intensity" bar show?
The Cost Intensity bar is a visual indicator of how cost-intensive the trip is relative to a reference scale. It maps the calculated cost-per-km to a low/medium/high band. A short bar = cost-efficient trip (e.g., highway EV commute); a long bar = cost-intensive trip (e.g., city petrol driving with parking). It is purely illustrative — the exact percentage shown represents where your trip falls on the internal cost scale, not a fixed industry benchmark.
Can I compare this to Deutsche Bahn train prices?
The calculator shows your car/EV cost. For a direct comparison with Deutsche Bahn, note that: the Deutschlandticket (49 €/month) is the cheapest option for regular regional travel; ICE Sparpreis tickets start at 17.90 € per trip and are often cheaper for solo travel under 300 km than a petrol car. At 2+ passengers, the car becomes competitive again. Add the result from this calculator to a DB price search for a side-by-side view.
Why is "Extra costs per trip" separate from fuel?
Extra costs (tolls, parking, ferry fees, congestion charges) are often forgotten in simple fuel calculations but can dominate total trip cost for urban or cross-border journeys. Examples: Brenner motorway toll (Austria) ~11 €; 2-hour city parking in Munich ~6 €; ADAC breakdown insurance amortized per trip. Keeping them separate makes it easy to see the fuel vs. fixed cost breakdown and test how much parking affects total cost by setting it to 0.
How do I calculate the cost of a regular commute over a full year?
Select "Multiple Trips" from the Trip Type dropdown and enter the number of annual commuting days (typically 220–230 for a German full-time employee after holidays and vacation). The calculator multiplies all costs by that number, giving you the annual total. Divide this by 12 for a monthly figure — useful for deciding whether a public transit subscription, company car, or Jobrad (employer bike leasing) is financially preferable for your specific commute.
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