Cost per mile calculator
Start with fuel cost per mile, then add insurance, maintenance and depreciation to see the full cost and compare it with a rate you type in.
Nothing you enter leaves this page.
Your cost per mile
$/ mile
- Fuel only
- $ / mile
- Yearly costs spread over each mile
- $ / mile
- Comparison rate minus your cost
- $ / mile
Each figure is rounded to three decimals on its own.
How this is calculated
Fuel cost per mile is the price per gallon divided by miles per gallon. If you add yearly costs, they are added up and divided by the miles you drive in a year, and that amount is added to the fuel cost. If you type a comparison rate in cents per mile, the tool shows that rate minus your total, so a positive number means the rate is above your cost.
cost per mile = price ÷ mpg + yearly costs ÷ yearly miles
The method, the constants and the limits are written out in how fuel cost is calculated.
Fuel cost against the full cost of driving
Fuel is the cost you notice, but it is only part of what a mile costs. Maintenance and tires, insurance, registration and the value the car loses all belong to the car, and they are spread over the miles you drive. The more miles you drive, the less each mile carries of the fixed costs. That is why the two numbers on this page can be far apart: one shows what you spend at the pump per mile, and the other shows everything you entered.
Comparing with a mileage reimbursement rate
The IRS publishes a standard mileage rate that taxpayers can use to work out vehicle expenses, and it is built to cover the cost of operating a car, not just fuel. The rate changes, so this calculator does not hard-code one. Look up the current figure on the IRS standard mileage rates page, type it in as cents per mile, and the tool shows the gap against your own cost. A rate set by an employer or a client works the same way.
Worked example with hypothetical numbers
Gas at $3.50 a gallon and 30 mpg. Yearly costs: $900 maintenance and tires, $1,500 insurance, $150 registration, $2,250 depreciation. 12,000 miles a year. A rate to compare of 70 cents per mile. All of these are made-up numbers for illustration.
- Fuel: $3.50 ÷ 30 = $0.117 per mile.
- Yearly costs: 900 + 1,500 + 150 + 2,250 = $4,800. $4,800 ÷ 12,000 = $0.400 per mile.
- Total: $0.117 + $0.400 = $0.517 per mile.
- Comparison: $0.700 − $0.517 = $0.183 per mile in your favour.
To get a trustworthy mpg to start from, use the fuel consumption calculator. For electric cars see the EV vs gas cost calculator, and for a truck that carries loads, the trucking cost per mile calculator. A single trip’s fuel is on the fuel cost calculator.
Common questions
Why show fuel and total cost per mile separately?
Fuel moves with the price at the pump. The other costs move with the car and the miles you drive. Seeing them apart shows which one is driving the total.
What should I put for depreciation?
The amount of value the car loses in a year. You can estimate it from what similar cars sell for now compared with a year ago. Leave it blank if you do not want to count it.
Do I need to fill in every yearly cost?
No. Enter the ones you know. If you enter any, add the miles you drive per year so the costs can be spread over each mile.
What does a negative comparison mean?
The rate you typed is lower than your cost per mile, so you would be out of pocket at that rate.