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Fuel & TripsDriving Range Calculator — How Far Can I Go on a Tank?
Find out how far a full tank will take you. Enter your tank size in gallons and your MPG.
Multiply your tank size in gallons by your MPG. A 14-gallon tank at 30 MPG goes about 420 miles on a full tank — but plan to refuel at a quarter tank, which leaves about 315 miles of comfortable range.
How this calculator works
Range is simply your tank size multiplied by your MPG. In the real world, leave a buffer — fuel gauges and low-fuel warnings are conservative, and economy drops at high speed and in cold weather.
What changes the number
- Don’t plan to use the whole tank — refuel around a quarter tank to avoid running dry and to be kind to the fuel pump.
- Highway range beats city range; use the economy that matches your driving.
- Cold weather, high speeds, and a loaded car all shorten real range.
Driving range on a full tank, by tank size and MPG
Full-tank figures assume you run the tank completely dry, which you shouldn’t — the next table shows the reserve you’d be dipping into.
| Tank size | At 20 MPG | At 25 MPG | At 30 MPG | At 40 MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 gal | 200 mi | 250 mi | 300 mi | 400 mi |
| 12 gal | 240 mi | 300 mi | 360 mi | 480 mi |
| 14 gal | 280 mi | 350 mi | 420 mi | 560 mi |
| 16 gal | 320 mi | 400 mi | 480 mi | 640 mi |
| 20 gal | 400 mi | 500 mi | 600 mi | 800 mi |
| 26 gal | 520 mi | 650 mi | 780 mi | 1,040 mi |
How far a quarter tank takes you
| Tank size | Quarter tank | At 20 MPG | At 30 MPG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 gal | 2.5 gal | 50 mi | 75 mi |
| 12 gal | 3 gal | 60 mi | 90 mi |
| 14 gal | 3.5 gal | 70 mi | 105 mi |
| 16 gal | 4 gal | 80 mi | 120 mi |
| 20 gal | 5 gal | 100 mi | 150 mi |
| 26 gal | 6.5 gal | 130 mi | 195 mi |
Frequently asked questions
Should I drive until empty?
No. Treat the bottom quarter as reserve — low-fuel warnings exist for a reason, and running a tank dry can damage the fuel pump on some cars.
Why is my real range lower?
EPA economy is optimistic for many conditions. Highway speeds above 70 mph, cold starts, short trips, and cargo all cut range.
What about EVs?
For an electric car, use the EV Range calculator — it works from battery size and efficiency in miles per kWh instead.
How many miles can I drive on a full tank?
Multiply the tank size by your MPG. A compact with a 12-gallon tank at 32 MPG goes about 384 miles; a midsize sedan with a 16-gallon tank at 28 MPG, about 448; a full-size truck with a 26-gallon tank at 20 MPG, about 520. Use the MPG you actually get rather than the sticker — the calculator above does the multiplication.
How far can I drive on a quarter tank?
A quarter of your tank times your MPG. On a 14-gallon tank at 30 MPG that’s 3.5 gallons, or about 105 miles; on a 20-gallon SUV tank at 20 MPG it’s 5 gallons, about 100 miles. Fuel gauges on many cars aren’t perfectly linear, so treat the needle as a rough guide.
How far can I drive after the gas light comes on?
It depends on the car. The warning typically comes on with roughly 1–3 gallons left, and many owner’s manuals state the figure. Multiply what’s left by your MPG: 2 gallons at 25 MPG is about 50 miles. Treat it as an emergency reserve, not usable range — the trip computer’s miles-to-empty is an estimate that falls quickly at highway speed.
How do I find my fuel tank size?
It’s listed as “fuel capacity” in the specifications section of your owner’s manual and on the manufacturer’s spec sheet for your model year. As a guide, compact cars and small crossovers carry about 12–15 gallons, midsize sedans 14–16, midsize SUVs 17–20, and full-size SUVs and pickups 23–36.
Does driving faster reduce my range?
Yes, noticeably. Aerodynamic drag climbs steeply with speed, and the Department of Energy notes that fuel economy usually drops rapidly above about 50 mph — so a 75–80 mph cruise takes a real bite out of a tank compared with 65. If you need to stretch the last of your fuel, slowing down is the most effective thing you can do.