Drive Time & Trip Cost Calculator
Enter how far you’re going and how fast you’ll average. See when you’ll arrive, the breaks to plan, where to stop overnight and what the whole trip costs.
Take it from your map app. Our speed, distance and time calculator solves any one of the three.
Your average, not the speed limit: junctions, towns and traffic slow you down. 90 km/h (55 mph) suits a mostly motorway trip.
Add 10–20% for busy times or city edges.
E.g. 1 if their clocks are an hour ahead, −1 if behind. See the time zone converter.
Use 0 to drive straight through. 8 hours is a common comfortable limit.
An example price. Type in what you pay today.
Only changes the CO2 estimate.
Rapid chargers on a road trip often cost two to three times the home price.
Just want fuel? The fuel cost calculator also does commutes. Thinking of switching? Try EV vs petrol.
Your drive, step by step
How your drive time is worked out
Time = distance ÷ average speed, plus breaks. Cost = fuel used × price, plus tolls.
- 1
Driving time
500 km ÷ 90 km/h= 5 h 33 min
- 2
Rest breaks
Every 2 h: 15 min2 × 15 min= 30 min
- 3
Arrival time
08:00 + 6 h 03 min= 14:03
- 4
Fuel cost
35 L × $1.00= $35.00
Read more: the formula, worked examples, break guidance, typical speeds and CO2
How long a drive takes depends on the distance and your average speed, which is always lower than the speed limit. Then come the stops: rest breaks, a meal, fuel or charging, and for long trips a night’s sleep. The cost is the fuel or electricity for the whole distance plus tolls, parking and anything else, shared between the people in the car.
The formula
driving time = distance ÷ average speed × (1 + traffic %)
mix of roads: driving time = motorway km ÷ motorway speed + main road km ÷ main road speed + town km ÷ town speed
breaks = whole break-intervals finished before the end of each day’s driving
time with breaks = driving time + breaks × break length + meal stop
arrival = departure time + time with breaks (+ nights, + time difference)
fuel used = distance × L/100 km ÷ 100 (× 2 for a return)
trip cost = fuel used × price + tolls × trips + parking + other
CO2 = litres × 2.31 kg (petrol) or 2.68 kg (diesel)
Worked example
With the starting inputs, a 500 km drive at an average of 90 km/h takes 500 ÷ 90 = 5.556 hours, which is 5 h 33 min at the wheel. With a 15 minute break after every 2 hours of driving, you stop after 2 hours and after 4 hours: 2 × 15 = 30 minutes. Leaving at 08:00, you arrive at 08:00 + 5 h 33 min + 30 min = 14:03.
A car using 7 L/100 km burns 500 × 7 ÷ 100 = 35 litres. At 1.00 a litre (the starting price for US dollars; it follows your currency) that costs $35.00, or 35 ÷ 500 = $0.07 a kilometre. Burning 35 litres of petrol gives off about 35 × 2.31 = 80.9 kg of CO2.
A mix of roads
Few trips are all motorway. With 70% of 500 km on motorway at 110 km/h, 20% on main roads at 70 km/h and 10% in town at 35 km/h: 350 ÷ 110 + 100 ÷ 70 + 50 ÷ 35 = 3.18 + 1.43 + 1.43 = 6.04 hours, an average of 500 ÷ 6.04 = 82.8 km/h. Notice the town part is only a tenth of the distance but nearly a quarter of the time.
A long trip with a night stop
1,500 km at 100 km/h is 15 hours of driving. With at most 8 hours a day, that’s 2 days of 7 h 30 min (750 km each). Each day has 3 breaks (after 2, 4 and 6 hours), so leaving at 08:00 you stop for the night at 16:15 and arrive at 16:15 the next day.
Rest-break guidance
| Guidance | Break | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| UK Highway Code, rule 91 | At least 15 min after every 2 hours of driving (recommended) | All drivers in the UK |
| EU driving time rules (Regulation 561/2006) | 45 min after 4.5 hours of driving; normally up to 9 hours’ driving a day | Lorry and coach drivers in the EU |
For private car drivers these are guidance, not a legal limit, but tiredness is a real cause of crashes. Stop sooner if you feel sleepy; a caffeinated drink and a 15 minute nap help for a short while only.
Typical average speeds
| Kind of trip | Typical average |
|---|---|
| Mostly motorway, light traffic | 95–110 km/h (60–70 mph) |
| Mixed motorway and main roads | 75–90 km/h (45–55 mph) |
| Country roads | 55–70 km/h (35–45 mph) |
| Town and city | 20–35 km/h (12–22 mph) |
These are rough rules of thumb. Your map app’s time for the route is usually the best guide to the driving time; enter its distance and pick the speed that matches its time, then add the breaks and stops here.
CO2 figures
We use about 2.31 kg of CO2 per litre of petrol, 2.68 kg for diesel and 1.51 kg for LPG, the same as our fuel cost calculator. The US EPA gives 8,887 g per US gallon of petrol (about 2.35 kg a litre) and 10,180 g for diesel (about 2.69 kg a litre). For electric cars the CO2 depends on how the electricity is made; 0.45 kg per kWh is a rough world average you can change.
Times are estimates: real traffic, weather, border crossings and road works can change them a lot. Fuel stops and charging stops are assumed to happen during your breaks; a charging stop longer than a break adds the difference. Night stops give at least 8 hours’ rest before setting off at your morning time. Starting fuel and electricity prices are examples, not live prices. Checked 11 October 2026.
Common questions
How do I work out how long a drive will take?
Divide the distance by your average speed. 500 km at an average of 90 km/h is 5.56 hours, or 5 h 33 min at the wheel. Then add your breaks: with a 15 minute stop every 2 hours you take 2 breaks, so the trip takes 6 h 03 min. Leave at 08:00 and you arrive at about 14:03.
What average speed should I use for a road trip?
Your average is lower than the speed limit because of junctions, towns and traffic. On mostly motorway trips 90–100 km/h (55–60 mph) is a fair guess. In Advanced mode you can enter a mix instead: for example 70% motorway at 110 km/h, 20% main road at 70 km/h and 10% town at 35 km/h averages about 83 km/h.
How often should I take a break when driving?
The UK Highway Code (rule 91) recommends a break of at least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving. In the EU, lorry and coach drivers must take 45 minutes after 4.5 hours. This calculator uses 15 minutes every 2 hours to start with, and you can change it in Advanced mode.
How far can you drive in one day?
Many people find about 8 hours of driving a day the most that stays comfortable, which is roughly 700–800 km (450–500 miles) on main roads. In the EU, professional drivers can normally drive up to 9 hours a day. For longer trips this calculator suggests overnight stops and splits the driving evenly between the days.
How do I work out the fuel cost of a road trip?
Multiply the distance by your fuel use and the price. 500 km in a car using 7 L/100 km burns 35 litres; at 1.00 a litre that is 35.00 in your currency. Add tolls and parking, double it for a return trip, and divide by the number of people sharing the car.
How much CO2 does a road trip give off?
Burning a litre of petrol gives off about 2.31 kg of CO2, and a litre of diesel about 2.68 kg. So 35 litres of petrol is about 81 kg of CO2. Shared between more people, the CO2 for each person goes down. For an electric car it depends on how your electricity is made.
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Made by Zulu Calculator, part of AlphaZulu LLC. Formulas are shown in full and rule figures are checked against official sources; see how we build calculators.