Diesel vs Gas Cost
Compare annual fuel cost of a diesel and a gasoline vehicle.
About Diesel vs Gas Cost
Each vehicle's yearly cost is its fuel burn times its fuel price. Diesel usually prices higher per gallon but often sips less per mile. Lower diesel consumption can offset a higher pump price, so only a full annual comparison shows which drivetrain truly saves money.
Formula
Diesel vs Gas Cost
Compare miles / MPG x price for each fuel
- diesel MPG
- Diesels often achieve better economy than gasoline engines
Worked example
With the default values below, Diesel vs Gas Cost returns Gasoline Annual Cost of $1,520.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Gasoline priceminimum 0.001 $/gal
- 3.8 $/gal
- Diesel priceminimum 0.001 $/gal
- 4.1 $/gal
- Gas car MPGminimum 0.1 mpg
- 30 mpg
- Diesel MPGminimum 0.1 mpg
- 33 mpg
- Miles per yearminimum 0 mi
- 12,000 mi
Results
- Gasoline Annual Cost
- $1,520.00
- Diesel Annual Cost
- $1,490.91
- Annual Cost Gap
- $29.09
- Cheaper Fuel
- Diesel costs less per year
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Diesel vs Gas Cost
- 3Gasoline Annual Cost= 1,520.00
- 4Diesel Annual Cost= 1,490.91
- 5Annual Cost Gap= 29.09
- 6Cheaper Fuel= Diesel costs less per year
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or fees or charges into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Diesel vs Gas Cost calculated?
Compare miles / MPG x price for each fuel Each vehicle's yearly cost is its fuel burn times its fuel price. Diesel usually prices higher per gallon but often sips less per mile.
Why does Diesel vs Gas Cost matter?
Lower diesel consumption can offset a higher pump price, so only a full annual comparison shows which drivetrain truly saves money.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Gasoline price, Diesel price, Gas car MPG, Diesel MPG, Miles per year. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.