Route budget
Gas is only part of the cost of a drive. Use this guide to combine fuel, tolls, parking, ferry fees, and route extras into one trip budget.
For a 180-mile route in a 30 MPG car at $3.60 per gallon, fuel is about $21.60. Add $18 in tolls and $12 in parking, and the trip budget becomes about $51.60.
Use one-way miles when you only need the cost to reach the destination. Use round-trip miles when you need the full travel budget. Tolls are often asymmetric, so check both directions before copying the same toll number twice.
If you are comparing route options, run the shorter route and the lower-toll route separately. A route with more miles can still be cheaper if it avoids expensive toll segments.
Do not assume the price is the same in both directions. Bridges, tunnels, ferries, express lanes, congestion zones, and electronic toll systems can use directional, time-based, vehicle-class, or account-based pricing. Rental vehicles may also add an administration fee that is separate from the toll itself.
Use the toll authority or operator page for the vehicle and travel time, then enter the combined outbound and return amount. If two routes differ in time, calculate both totals and decide whether the time saved is worth the fee rather than comparing distance alone.
No. Use toll authority or map estimates for exact toll prices, then enter that total into the calculator extras field.
Run each route with its own distance, gas cost, and toll amount. Compare the total cost and the time difference before deciding.