Fuel Cost Calculator

Fuel costs are one of the biggest running costs of a car. Our calculator shows you precisely what your journeys cost – whether for the daily commute, a holiday or the annual total. The formula is simple:

Fuel cost = (distance ÷ 100) × consumption × fuel price

At current petrol prices of around €2.05–2.20 per litre (Super E10, October 2026) and average consumption of 7–8 L/100 km, you pay roughly €15–17 per 100 km. Over 15,000 km a year at €2.11 per litre (average E10) that adds up to roughly €2,200–2,550 per year.

• Check your tyre pressure: Pressure that is too low increases consumption by up to 5%
• Drive with foresight: A steady speed saves up to 20% fuel
• Keep the revs low: Change up early, shifting at around 2,000 rpm
• Use the air conditioning sparingly: Consumption rises by 0.5–1 L/100 km
• Remove unnecessary weight: 100 kg of extra load = 0.3–0.5 L more consumption
• Take off the roof rack: It increases air resistance considerably
• Don't warm up the engine while stationary: An idling engine burns 1–2 L per hour
• Fill-up strategy: Fill up shortly before 12 noon – since 1 April 2026 prices may only rise at 12 noon
• Use fuel-price apps: Clever Tanken and ADAC Spritpreise (German fuel-price apps)
• Car-share: Sharing the costs = halving the costs

How much fuel do I need for 100 km?

Average consumption depends heavily on the type of vehicle:

• Small cars: 5–6 L/100 km (Fiat 500, VW up!, Renault Twingo)
• Compact class: 6–8 L/100 km (Golf, Focus, A3)
• Mid-size: 7–9 L/100 km (Passat, BMW 3 Series)
• SUVs: 8–12 L/100 km (Tiguan, Q5, X3)
• Sports cars: 10–15 L/100 km (AMG, M models, Porsche)

Petrol or diesel – which is cheaper?

Diesel has a lower price per litre and diesel engines use about 15–20% less than comparable petrol engines. However, vehicle tax (Kfz-Steuer) is higher for diesel. Rule of thumb: from about 15,000 km a year, diesel pays off financially.

A large share of every litre of fuel consists of government levies. Under the Energy Tax Act (EnergieStG) the standard rate is 65.45 cents per litre for petrol and 47.04 cents for diesel; 19 per cent VAT is then charged on the total price, including the energy tax. The national carbon price under the Fuel Emissions Trading Act (BEHG) also feeds through, for which the legislator has provided a price corridor of €55 to €65 per tonne of CO₂ for 2026. For petrol that amounts to roughly 13 to 15 cents per litre before VAT. The temporary cut in energy tax since 1 October 2026 mentioned on this page therefore shows up directly at the pump; the standard rates above apply without that cut.

The rest of the price covers crude oil and product prices on the markets, transport, storage and the margins of the oil company and the filling station. Because crude oil is priced in US dollars, the exchange rate affects prices in euros too. Diesel is not cheaper because it is cheaper to produce, but because it is taxed less. Since 1 April 2026 stations may raise prices only once a day at noon, though they may lower them at any time – in practice that means filling up shortly before noon, not shortly after.

With the values stored in the calculator the sums are easy to follow. A petrol car using 7.5 litres per 100 km burns 1,125 litres over 15,000 km a year. At €2.11 per litre (Super E10) that is €2,373.75 a year, or just under €198 a month. A diesel that, by rule of thumb, uses about 17 per cent less – roughly 6.2 litres – needs 930 litres and at €2.26 pays €2,101.80. The advantage is around €270 a year, which higher vehicle tax and often a higher purchase price wholly or partly eat up again.

The electric car does much better on pure energy costs: 18 kWh per 100 km at €0.35 per kWh comes to €6.30 per 100 km, or €945 for 15,000 km. Compared with the petrol car you save about €1,430 a year in this example. This assumes a household electricity price; at public fast chargers the price per kWh is often much higher, so the advantage shrinks there. Fuel cost per kilometre for the petrol car in the example is about 15.8 cents. That is only part of the cost: depreciation, insurance, taxes, maintenance and tyres come on top, which is why a car costs a multiple of this per kilometre overall.

The manufacturer's figure from the WLTP test procedure, shown in the car energy-consumption label, is a laboratory value. In everyday use consumption is usually higher, especially on short trips, in winter and at high speed. You should therefore enter your own real average in the calculator. Use the full-tank method: fill up, note the odometer reading, and at the next full tank divide the litres added by the kilometres driven times 100. Averaged over several tanks, this gives a reliable figure. Real-world consumption reported by other drivers is available on portals such as Spritmonitor.de.

Also note the fuel grade: E10 contains up to 10 per cent bioethanol, E5 up to 5 per cent. Whether your engine tolerates E10 is stated in the owner's manual or on the manufacturer's compatibility list; most newer petrol cars are approved. Super Plus is only worth it if the manufacturer prescribes it. Prices abroad vary widely, as our blog article on fuel prices in Europe shows; a detour to refuel is only worthwhile if the saving clearly exceeds the extra kilometres.