How to calculate fuel consumption per km in Kenya

Fuel consumption tells you how far your vehicle goes on 1 litre of fuel. In Kenya we use km/L, kilometres per litre. You need two numbers: the kilometres you drove and the litres you used.

Step by step: the full-tank method

1. Fill the tank until the pump clicks off. Do not top up after the click.
2. Write down the mileage on the dashboard, or set the trip meter to zero.
3. Drive as you normally do, for at least half a tank.
4. Go back to a station, ideally the same pump, and fill until it clicks off again. Note the litres.
5. Note the kilometres you drove since the first fill.

The formulas

• km/L = kilometres driven divided by litres used
• Litres per 100 km = 100 divided by km/L
• Cost per km = price per litre divided by km/L

How to calculate fuel consumption per km without filling up

If you cannot fill to the top, use what you spend. Add up the money you spent on fuel in a month and the kilometres you drove. Divide the money by the pump price to get the litres, then divide the kilometres by the litres. This is less exact, because you do not know how much fuel was in the tank at the start and the end. Over a month or more, the error gets small.

What is a good figure?

It depends on the vehicle. A small hatchback goes about twice as far on a litre as a big 4WD diesel. Compare your figure with other owners of the same model on its Kilolita page, or use Is my car using too much fuel?

Tips for an accurate figure

• Use the same pump and fill the same way each time.
• Measure over at least 300 km if you can.
• Note whether you drove mostly in town or on the highway. The figure changes a lot between the two.

When you have your figure, add it to Kilolita so other owners of your vehicle can compare.