Mileage Calculator | RAC Fuel Cost Calculator (2024)

Driving can be expensive, especially if you regularly drive long distances and spend a lot of money on fuel. The new RAC Fuel Cost and Mileage Calculator can help you work out how much a journey will cost you in terms of fuel, so that you can budget accordingly. Whether you’re driving 200 miles for a long weekend away and a UK city break, or just popping to the shops, you’ll be able to see how much you’ll be spending on petrol or diesel.

The mileage calculator is easy to use. Simply add your current location– postcode or place– into the A category, and details of your destination into the B category. The overall driving distance will be displayed in miles and kilometres, and the driving time will also be shown.

There is also a fuel calculator, that enables drivers to work out their fuel usage in terms of consumption, fuel cost in terms of pence per litre or gallon, and mileage rate.

If you’re driving for business, you’ll also be able to understand exactly what you can claim in business mileage. You can also get further information about your CO2 emissions.

When you have all the details you need, why not email, print or share your fuel calculator data with friends?

The price of fuel rarely stays at the same level for long, increasing and decreasing regularly - even if only in small amounts. But it’s useful to be aware of what fuel prices are, so you know how much you’ll have to pay to fill your vehicle up. You’ll also know what the UK average is, so you can see which fuel stations are expensive.

RAC Fuel Watch is an initiative from the RAC that monitors petrol and diesel pricing. Using our fuel price calculator we monitor wholesale and retail fuel prices everyday to make sure that retailers are charging UK motorists a fair price. Supermarkets that provide fuel are also included in the initiative.

What do we do with this information? We use it to keep drivers informed by publishing and updating the very latest average petrol and diesel prices. We display this information in four categories:

Diesel
Unleaded
Super Unleaded
LPG

As well as the average price of each fuel type, we also include a forecast on whether the price is likely to go up or come down.

But that’s not all we do.

We use this information to call on retailers to pass on savings from falling wholesale prices directly to the consumer via the pumps on the service forecourt. This leads to retailers reducing the price of their petrol and diesel, which helps to keep the cost of motoring down.

All drivers want to save fuel - both to limit the impact on the environment and also to reduce costs as much as possible. The longer fuel can last, the less often motorists have to spend money at the pumps.

So, how can you save on fuel? Driving less often is one way, but not really a practical measure if you need to use your vehicle every day.

Why not try these five top tips for saving fuel? And, if you want to discover more ways of making your fuel last longer and go further, read our ultimate guide to how to save fuel.

Tidy your car
Does your car have a lot of, well, stuff in the boot? Remove whatever isn’t needed from the vehicle and store it at home or in the garage. The heavier the weight of the car, the more fuel it uses.

Maintain your vehicle
A car that is looked after and maintained regularly performs more efficiently. So, make sure you check oil frequently, and monitor tyre pressure every week. Driving with tyres that are low increases the use of fuel.

Stick to speed limits
It’s well known that the faster you drive, the more fuel you use– Department of Transport figures state that travelling at 80mph can use up to 25% more fuel than at 75mph. Of course, you should always stick to legal speed limits anyway but it’s a bonus that driving sensibly and slower can also improve fuel efficiency.

Limit air conditioning
If you’ve got into the habit of having the air con blasting out at all times - don’t. Air conditioning makes the engine work harder, using more power, and so it increases fuel consumption. Don’t use it unless you really have to.

Plan your journey
Make sure you know where you’re going, so plan your route in advance. A few lost turns will result in extra, unnecessary, mileage. Also, if you have a few errands to run, try to take care of them all in one longer trip rather than making several shorter journeys. Driving with a warm engine is better for efficiency, rather than starting and restarting.