- Fuel cost per mile ranges from $0.113 for a midsize car to $0.180 for a standard/full-size pickup at $3.30 per gallon.
- The average light-duty vehicle costs roughly $0.139 per mile to fuel at the fleet's actual on-road average of 23.7 MPG (DOE/ORNL, 2020)—lower than the figure implied by the 27.2 MPG new-vehicle sales average, since older vehicles still on the road pull the real-world average down.
- A driver switching from an 18 MPG full-size pickup to a 28 MPG compact saves $0.063 per mile—roughly $760 per year at 12,000 miles.
- 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 $0.113 for a midsize car to $0.180 for a standard/full-size pickup at $3.30 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.
DOE/EPA, FuelEconomy.gov, "Find and Compare Cars": fuel cost calculation methodologyAt $3.30 per gallon, a vehicle rated at 30 MPG costs $0.11 per mile to fuel. A vehicle rated at 20 MPG costs $0.165 per mile. That $0.055 difference compounds to $660 per year at 12,000 miles driven.
Calculated: ($3.30/20 − $3.30/30) × 12,000 = $660. EIA gasoline price reference (national average, 2024).The EPA calculates and displays annual fuel cost on every new vehicle window sticker (Monroney label). These estimates use 15,000 miles per year and a fuel price set annually by the EIA. The cost-per-mile metric below uses 12,000 miles (closer to the FHWA average) and the $3.30/gallon reference price.
EPA/DOE, 40 CFR Part 600: Fuel Economy Labeling requirements; FHWA Highway Statistics Table VM-102 Cost per Mile by EPA Vehicle Class
The EPA groups vehicles into classes based on interior volume (for cars) and gross vehicle weight rating (for trucks). 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. Trucks above roughly 8,500–10,000 lbs gross vehicle weight rating (typically marketed as "heavy-duty" 2500/3500-series pickups) are largely exempt from EPA fuel economy testing and are not separately broken out here for that reason.
EPA/DOE, Fuel Economy Guide database, gasoline-fueled vehicles, model years 2024–2025| EPA Vehicle Class | Avg Combined MPG | Cost per Mile | Annual Fuel Cost (12K mi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsize Car | 29.2 | $0.113 | $1,356 |
| Compact Car | 28.2 | $0.117 | $1,404 |
| Small SUV / Crossover | 26.1 | $0.126 | $1,517 |
| Minivan | 26.5 | $0.125 | $1,494 |
| Large Car | 25.0 | $0.132 | $1,584 |
| Small/Compact Pickup | 22.3 | $0.148 | $1,776 |
| Subcompact Car | 23.1 | $0.143 | $1,714 |
| Midsize/Large SUV | 19.6 | $0.168 | $2,020 |
| Standard/Full-Size Pickup | 18.3 | $0.180 | $2,164 |
The range from top to bottom is striking: fueling a midsize car costs $0.113 per mile while a standard/full-size pickup costs $0.180 per mile—about 60% more. Over 12,000 miles, that gap is $808 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 $3.30 per gallon.
Calculated from EPA class averages and EIA gasoline price reference (national average, 2024)| Switch From → To | MPG Change | Cost/Mile Savings | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard/Full-Size Pickup → Midsize Car | 18.3 → 29.2 | $0.067 | $808 |
| Standard/Full-Size Pickup → Compact Car | 18.3 → 28.2 | $0.063 | $760 |
| Midsize/Large SUV → Small SUV | 19.6 → 26.1 | $0.042 | $503 |
| Small/Compact Pickup → Compact Car | 22.3 → 28.2 | $0.031 | $372 |
| Subcompact Car → Midsize Car | 23.1 → 29.2 | $0.030 | $358 |
The biggest savings come from the least efficient vehicles. Moving from a standard/full-size pickup to a midsize car saves over $800 per year in fuel alone. Even within the SUV category, moving from a midsize/large SUV to a small SUV saves roughly $503 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—more than triple 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, a typical EV consuming 30 kWh per 100 miles costs $0.050 per mile to fuel.
EIA Form 861 Table 5A (2024): average retail price of residential electricity; DOE/EPA FuelEconomy.gov EV efficiency ratingsThis represents a 57% to 72% savings compared to gasoline vehicles at $3.30/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 861 Table 5A (2024) state 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 the light-duty vehicle fleet, 23.7 MPG (2020, the most recent year published). 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 5A. eia.gov/electricity