Helpful Toolbox

Gas Stop Planner

Enter your trip distance, tank size, and fuel economy to see how many gas stops your road trip needs and how far apart to space them. Everything runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

📖 How it works & FAQ

Plan your fuel stops before you leave

Running a tank down to fumes on an unfamiliar highway is a road-trip mistake you only make once. This gas stop planner tells you, before you pull out of the driveway, how many times you will need to fill up and roughly how many miles apart those stops should be. It uses a simple, conservative formula: your usable range per tank is tank size × MPG × a usable fraction (default 0.8, editable), and the number of stops is your trip distance divided by that range, rounded up. The 80% usable fraction builds in a safety buffer so the plan never assumes you drive the last drop — you arrive at each station with fuel to spare for detours, traffic, or a closed exit. All the math runs privately in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere. Figures are estimates only, not professional advice — real-world fuel economy, terrain, and station availability vary.

How to use it

  1. Enter your total trip distance in miles (your map app’s route distance works perfectly).
  2. Enter your vehicle’s fuel tank size in gallons — check the owner’s manual or manufacturer specs.
  3. Enter your realistic highway MPG. Loaded cars with roof boxes get less than the sticker rating.
  4. Adjust the usable tank fraction if you like a bigger or smaller reserve; 0.8 means you refuel with about 20% left.
  5. Read the results instantly: stops needed, miles between stops, usable range per tank, and total fuel for the trip.

FAQ

Why not use my full tank range?
Gas gauges are imprecise, stations can be far apart, and headwinds or hills quietly cut MPG. Reserving 20% means a missed exit or a stretch of construction never becomes an emergency.
Does one stop mean I barely make it?
No. The planner rounds up and spaces stops evenly, so with one stop on a 600-mile trip you would refuel around mile 300 — comfortably inside your usable range, not at its edge.
What MPG should I enter?
Use your real highway average if you know it (many dashboards show it). Otherwise take the EPA highway figure and knock off 10–15% for cargo, passengers, and higher cruising speeds.
Does this account for gas station locations?
No — it gives target mileage points. Once you know you need stops near miles 200 and 400, use your map app to pick actual stations close to those markers.