In this post I’ll give you an estimate of the cost of fuel to drive around Australia and also show you how you can calculate it for your own trip and vehicle.
The price of fuel is on everyone’s mind at the moment, especially if you’re planning to drive around Australia.
Fuel is one of the three biggest expenses Big Lappers have when they drive around Australia along with accomodation (caravan parks fees) and food.
With fuel prices currently sitting well over $2.00 per litre and over $3.00 per litre in remote areas, fuel could quite easily be the biggest of the big 3 expenses.
I made a video and a blog post recently about how to reduce your fuel bill and reduce your trip cost overall which might like to read > 6 Ways To Fight The Impact Of Soaring Fuel Prices
But for now, let’s look at what your cost of fuel to drive around Australia might be.
How much fuel will you need?
Driving around the outside of Australia on Highway 1 is just under 15,000km distance but most people doing a big lap around Australia take plenty of detours and travel at least double that distance.
So assuming you drive 30,000km on your trip around Australia and your vehicle averages 14 litres per 100 km, then you will use around 4200 litres of fuel.
What is cost of fuel to drive around Australia?
Fuel prices in Australia are currently around $2.20 per litre in the city and over $3.00 per litre in remote areas, so if we assume an average of $2.75 per litre across the whole 30,000 km trip, you will spend $11,550 on fuel.
Here is the formula to calculate your fuel cost:
KM travelled x Litres per 100 x Average fuel price / 100 = Total fuel bill
For example:
30,000 x 14 x 2.75 / 100 = $11,550
If your vehicle gets better mileage or the price of fuel drops or you travel less distance then the fuel cost to travel around Australia could be much lower.
However I think it’s a good idea to be conservative when estimating costs so you don’t get caught out.
Fuel Cost Calculator
Use this handy fuel cost calculator to estimate the cost of fuel to drive around Australia.
Download our FREE Big Lap Budget Spreadsheet
The simple way to calculate your fuel cost to travel around Australia AND all of your other expenses is to download our FREE Big Lap Budget Spreadsheet.
We created this simple spreadsheet to give you an accurate snapshot of how much money you will need to drive around Australia.
Best of all, it includes a built in fuel cost calculator (see below).
The spreadsheet takes all of the variables relevant to your trip, including fuel, and shows you how much money you’ll need for your trip.
Download your copy here > FREE Big Lap Budget Spreadsheet
Despite the crazy high fuel prices (and everything else we’re experiencing at the moment), there are plenty of ways to slash your costs and drive around Australia on a budget.
This article will show you a heap of ways to slash your trip cost > How To Drive Around Australia On A Budget
Also if you’re planning a Big Lap around Australia, take a look at our Big Lappers Guide Book – it’s our 300 page Step-By-Step Guide to planning your road trip around Australia. PLUS it includes ‘The Big Lap Film Series‘ – the documentary series of our 16 month big lap around Australia > The Big Lappers Guide Book
