- Fuel cost per mile ranges from $0.106 for a midsize car to $0.169 for a standard/full-size pickup at $3.10 per gallon.
- The average light-duty vehicle costs roughly $0.131 per mile to fuel at the on-road light-duty fleet average of 23.7 MPG (DOE/ORNL Transportation Energy Data Book, 2020). The 27.2 MPG average for new model year 2024 vehicles (EPA) would imply $0.114 per mile.
- A driver switching from an 18.3 MPG full-size pickup to a 28.2 MPG compact saves $0.059 per mile, roughly $714 per year at 12,000 miles (class averages).
- Fuel cost per mile is the inverse of fuel economy multiplied by the price per gallon, making it the most direct way to compare vehicles.
01 How to Calculate Fuel Cost per Mile
Fuel cost per mile ranges from $0.106 for a midsize car to $0.169 for a standard/full-size pickup at $3.10 per gallon. Fuel cost per mile is the simplest metric for comparing what different vehicles cost to operate. The formula divides the price of one gallon of fuel by the vehicle's EPA combined fuel economy rating.
Standard fuel cost formula: price per gallon divided by MPGAt $3.10 per gallon, a vehicle rated at 30 MPG costs $0.103 per mile to fuel. A vehicle rated at 20 MPG costs $0.155 per mile. That $0.052 difference compounds to $620 per year at 12,000 miles driven.
Calculated: ($3.10/20 − $3.10/30) × 12,000 = $620. Price: 2025 mean of EIA weekly U.S. regular gasoline prices ($3.0975, shown as $3.10).The cost-per-mile figures below use 12,000 miles per year (close to the FHWA VM-1 average of 11,327 miles per motor vehicle in 2022) and the $3.10/gallon reference price (the 2025 mean of EIA weekly regular prices).
FHWA Highway Statistics Table VM-102 Cost per Mile by EPA Vehicle Class
The table below shows the average combined MPG for each class, computed directly from the EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide database, along with the corresponding fuel cost per mile. Pickups above 8,500 pounds are not included in EPA's data and are not broken out here.
EPA/DOE, Fuel Economy Guide database, gasoline-fueled vehicles (including hybrids), model years 2024–2025| EPA Vehicle Class | Avg Combined MPG | Cost per Mile | Annual Fuel Cost (12K mi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsize Car | 29.2 | $0.106 | $1,274 |
| Compact Car | 28.2 | $0.110 | $1,319 |
| Minivan | 26.5 | $0.117 | $1,404 |
| Small SUV / Crossover | 26.1 | $0.119 | $1,425 |
| Large Car | 25.0 | $0.124 | $1,488 |
| Subcompact Car | 23.1 | $0.134 | $1,610 |
| Small/Compact Pickup | 22.3 | $0.139 | $1,668 |
| Midsize/Large SUV | 19.6 | $0.158 | $1,898 |
| Standard/Full-Size Pickup | 18.3 | $0.169 | $2,033 |
The range from top to bottom is striking: fueling a midsize car costs $0.106 per mile while a standard/full-size pickup costs $0.169 per mile, about 60% more. Over 12,000 miles, that gap is $759 per year.
Estimate your vehicle's driving cost using official EPA fuel economy data.
Use the Calculator03 Annual Cost Impact
Small differences in cost per mile produce significant annual savings. The table below illustrates the annual fuel cost difference when switching between vehicle classes, assuming 12,000 miles per year at $3.10 per gallon.
Calculated from EPA class averages and the 2025 mean EIA weekly regular gasoline price ($3.10)| Switch From → To | MPG Change | Cost/Mile Savings | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard/Full-Size Pickup → Midsize Car | 18.3 → 29.2 | $0.063 | $759 |
| Standard/Full-Size Pickup → Compact Car | 18.3 → 28.2 | $0.059 | $714 |
| Midsize/Large SUV → Small SUV | 19.6 → 26.1 | $0.039 | $473 |
| Small/Compact Pickup → Compact Car | 22.3 → 28.2 | $0.029 | $349 |
| Subcompact Car → Midsize Car | 23.1 → 29.2 | $0.028 | $336 |
The biggest savings come from the least efficient vehicles. Moving from a standard/full-size pickup to a midsize car saves about $759 per year in fuel alone. Even within the SUV category, moving from a midsize/large SUV to a small SUV saves about $473 annually.
04 How Gas Prices Change the Picture
Cost per mile scales linearly with gasoline price. The table below shows how fuel cost per mile changes for three representative vehicles at different price points.
EIA, "Weekly U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices": historical range $1.77–$5.01 (2020–2022)| Gas Price | Compact (28.2 MPG) | Midsize/Large SUV (19.6 MPG) | Standard/Full-Size Pickup (18.3 MPG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2.50/gal | $0.089 | $0.128 | $0.137 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.106 | $0.153 | $0.164 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.124 | $0.179 | $0.191 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.142 | $0.204 | $0.219 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.177 | $0.255 | $0.273 |
At $5.00 per gallon, a standard/full-size pickup costs $0.273 per mile to fuel, about 3.1 times the cost of a compact car at $2.50 per gallon. Fuel-efficient vehicles provide a natural hedge against gas price volatility.
05 Electric Vehicle Cost per Mile
For comparison, electric vehicles have a fuel-equivalent cost per mile based on electricity rates. The DOE measures EV efficiency in kilowatt-hours per 100 miles (kWh/100 mi). At the EIA national average residential electricity rate of 16.5 cents per kWh, an EV with the median model year 2024 rating (38.4 kWh per 100 miles, 266 configurations) costs $0.063 per mile to fuel.
EIA Form EIA-861 (2024), Table 4, average retail price of electricity by state and sector: residential; DOE/EPA FuelEconomy.gov EV efficiency ratingsThis is 42% to 63% less per mile than gasoline vehicles at $3.10/gallon, depending on the class being compared (compact car to standard/full-size pickup). However, electricity rates vary significantly by state, ranging from about 11.5 cents/kWh in the cheapest states to nearly 43 cents/kWh in Hawaii, which affects the comparison. See our full EV vs gas car fuel cost comparison for detailed state-level analysis.
EIA Form EIA-861 (2024), Table 4, state residential electricity prices; EPA/DOE FuelEconomy.gov EV cost calculations06 Data Sources
- EPA/DOE: Fuel Economy Guide database (comb08 combined MPG by EPA vehicle class), model years 2024–2025. fueleconomy.gov
- EPA: The 2025 EPA Automotive Trends Report (EPA-420-R-26-001), Table 2.1: fleet-average fuel economy. epa.gov/automotive-trends
- DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Transportation Energy Data Book, Edition 40, Table 4.3: on-road fuel economy of light-duty vehicles, 23.7 MPG in 2020 (the latest year in Edition 40). tedb.ornl.gov
- EIA: Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices. eia.gov
- FHWA: Highway Statistics, Table VM-1. fhwa.dot.gov
- EIA: Form EIA-861 Annual Electric Power Industry Report, Table 4. eia.gov/electricity