Road trip cost calculator

What this number covers

This is the cost of the whole trip, not just the gas. It adds the car (fuel, or fuel and a per-mile wear allowance, or the IRS mileage rate), the hotel rooms, a daily food allowance for each traveler, tolls in each direction and a lump sum for parking and extras. It then divides by the number of travelers and by the miles driven. For a quick look at gas alone, the fuel cost calculator is faster; for a business trip the mileage reimbursement calculator works out the deduction.

The formula

With D the one-way distance, L the number of legs (1 for one way, 2 for a round trip), E the fuel economy in mpg and P the price per gallon: fuel = D × L ÷ E × P. Lodging = nights × room price × rooms. Food = food per person per day × days × travelers. Tolls = toll each way × L. In the IRS mode the car costs D × L × the IRS rate, and fuel and wear are left out. The total is the sum of those parts; the per-person cost is the total divided by travelers, and the cost per mile is the total divided by D × L. In metric mode the calculator converts kilometers to miles (1.609344 km per mile), liters per 100 km to mpg and the price per liter to a price per gallon (3.785411784 liters per US gallon) before using the same formula.

Worked example

Two people drive 500 miles each way in a 25 mpg car with gas at $3.50. The 1,000 miles take 40 gallons, which is $140.00. They sleep two nights in one room at $120 ($240.00), eat for three days at $40 each ($240.00) and pay $10 in tolls each way ($20.00). The total is $640.00, or $320.00 per person and $0.64 per mile. Counting the car at the IRS rate of 72.5 cents per mile instead of fuel raises the total to $1,225.00, because 1,000 miles at that rate is $725.00 against $140.00 of gas. Which figure is right depends on the question: fuel is what you pay now, while the IRS rate is closer to what owning and driving the car costs.

Common mistakes and limits

Counting gas twice is the first. The IRS rate for 2026 is 72.5 cents per mile for business driving and 20.5 cents for medical and moving driving, and neither is a surcharge on top of fuel. The business rate rests on both fixed and variable costs of operating a car and the medical rate on variable costs only, so choose one method for the car, not both.

The second is using the sticker mpg for a highway trip. Fueleconomy.gov notes that gas mileage usually falls rapidly above 50 mph and that a roof cargo box can reduce highway fuel economy by 6% to 17% (10% to 25% at 65 to 75 mph). Use the mpg you actually get at your cruising speed. Third, the calculator assumes fixed prices: gas and hotel prices differ by state and season, so enter the price on your route, not at home. Fourth, tolls are the same each way, and there are no ferries, parking surprises or tickets. The IRS rate is set for tax deductions and changes every year: 72.5 cents applies to 2026 only.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a road trip cost?

It depends on distance, fuel, lodging and food far more than on the car's size. In the example above, a 500-mile trip each way for two people, in a 25 mpg car with gas at $3.50, two hotel nights at $120, $40 a day each for food and $10 in tolls each way, comes to $640.00 ($320.00 each) when only fuel is counted for the car. Only $140.00 of that is gas.

Should I use the IRS mileage rate for a personal trip?

The IRS business rate for 2026 is 72.5 cents per mile. It is set for deducting business driving and is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating a car, so it covers more than fuel. For a personal trip it is a way to count the full cost of using your car, not what you pay at the pump. In the example, the IRS rate gives $725.00 for the car instead of $140.00 in gas, a total of $1,225.00.

Why not add the IRS rate to the gas cost?

Because the rate already contains fuel. The IRS bases the business rate on both fixed and variable costs, and the medical and moving rates (20.5 cents in 2026) on variable costs only. Adding gas on top would count it twice. The calculator therefore offers the IRS rate as a replacement for fuel and wear, not an addition.

What is the wear and tear option?

It lets you add a cost per mile for tires, oil, brakes and repairs that you type in yourself. We do not supply a value because it differs a lot between cars. With 10 cents a mile (an example, not a statistic) the same trip costs $740.00, $100.00 more than fuel alone.

How do I split the cost between travelers?

The calculator divides the total, including food, by the number of travelers, and counts one hotel room per room entered, so two people sharing one room pay for one. Food is charged per person per day. With one traveler instead of two, the same trip costs $520.00 in total, because food is the only cost that scales with the number of people. If you want fuel alone, the fuel cost calculator splits just the gas.

Does driving faster cost more?

Yes. Fueleconomy.gov says gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 50 mph. A roof cargo box can reduce fuel economy by 6% to 17% on the highway and 10% to 25% at interstate speeds, and each extra 100 pounds of cargo reduces mpg by about 1%. Use your own highway mpg, ideally from your trip computer, rather than the city or combined figure on the sticker.

Is a round trip just double the distance?

For fuel, mileage and tolls yes, the calculator doubles them. Lodging and food depend on the days and nights you enter, because they do not double. A one-way trip of the same length with one night and two days of meals comes to $360.00.

Planning estimate only. Sources: Internal Revenue Service, IRS sets 2026 business standard mileage rate at 72.5 cents per mile (Notice 2026-10, December 29, 2025); U.S. Department of Energy and EPA, Driving More Efficiently (fueleconomy.gov); NIST SP 811, Appendix B.8 (mile) and the US gallon of 3.785411784 liters. Update the IRS rate every January. How we check our calculators.