Work out average trip speed instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Average speed is total distance divided by total time, not the average of the speeds. Because slow sections consume disproportionate time, the true average always falls below the arithmetic mean — often by a surprising margin.
Average speed
average = total distance / total time; averaging the speeds themselves is wrong
Because each speed applies for a different duration. The slow leg dominates the time, so it dominates the average.
For equal distances at different speeds, the correct average is the harmonic mean: 2 / (1/v1 + 1/v2). This calculator handles unequal distances directly.