Driving & Fuel: Miles Driven vs Distance to the Moon

See how your driving & fuel habit scales when comparing miles driven to distance to the moon. Your commute is an epic journey. Convert your driving miles into trips around the Earth or find out how many trees are needed to offset your CO₂.

Example: Driving & Fuel

For example, consuming 1 kilometers driven of driving & fuel per month could be equivalent to approximately 1.32 total cost over 1 year. Enable JavaScript to calculate with your own values and explore more comparisons!

Size My Driving & Fuel

Size my:

My Miles Driven per month

Compare to / Assess

Your Habit Scale

See how your consumption adds up over time.

Time Period	Equivalent in Distance to the Moon
1 Year	0 trips
5 Years	0.2 trips
25 Years	0.8 trips

How It's Calculated

1. Your input: 620 Miles Driven per month.
2. Your monthly input equals an average of 32.8 km (≈ 20.4 miles) per day.
2. One distance to the moon is a distance of 384,400 km (≈ 238,855.01) miles).
4. The final result is calculated by dividing your total distance driven over time by the distance of one distance to the moon.

Why It's Important

Prepare for an epic road trip! Your annual driving accumulates to a distance equivalent to 0 Distance to the Moon. That's not just a weekend getaway; you're on an astronomical journey, racking up enough miles to cross the country, circle the planet, or even make a serious dent in the distance to the moon—all from your driver's seat!

This incredible distance is more than just a number on your odometer; it's a direct measure of your personal transportation footprint. Each of these vast journeys represents significant fuel consumption, vehicle maintenance costs, and carbon dioxide emissions. Visualizing your daily commute as an intercontinental voyage provides a powerful perspective on the environmental impact of driving and can spark interest in fuel efficiency and sustainable transport options.

Do you need help with your habit? See our list of international helplines and resources.

The Science Behind It

Fuel consumption from driving contributes significantly to personal and global carbon footprints. SizeMyHabit’s Driving Fuel Calculator converts kilometers or miles driven and fuel quantity into CO₂ emissions, fuel economy metrics, and resource impact—drawing on combustion chemistry and environmental engineering.

1. Combustion Chemistry & CO₂ Production

Burning one liter of gasoline yields approximately 2.31 kg of CO₂, while diesel produces 2.68 kg/L, based on stoichiometric reaction C₈H₁₈ + 12.5 O₂ → 8 CO₂ + 9 H₂O. The calculator uses vehicle-specific fuel economy data (L/100 km or mpg) to compute total emissions per trip.

2. Life-Cycle Emissions

Tailpipe CO₂ accounts for about 75% of a vehicle’s life-cycle greenhouse-gas emissions; the remaining 25% stems from fuel extraction, refining, and distribution. Our tool adds a 1.3× multiplier to tailpipe CO₂ to approximate full life-cycle impact.

3. Fuel Efficiency & Driving Behavior

Real-world driving conditions (speed, acceleration, load) influence fuel efficiency. Each 10 km/h increase above 90 km/h can raise fuel consumption by 10–20% due to aerodynamic drag. The calculator’s “trip profile” option adjusts emissions estimates based on typical urban vs. highway driving.

4. Alternative Fuels & Electrification

Electric vehicles (EVs) produce zero tailpipe emissions, but upstream electricity generation can vary widely. In regions with 50 g CO₂/kWh grid intensity, an EV uses ~15 kWh per 100 km, equating to 0.75 kg CO₂/100 km—one-tenth of an efficient gasoline car. SizeMyHabit allows users to compare petrol, diesel, and electric modes side by side.

5. Behavioral Feedback & Modal Shift

Providing personalized CO₂ feedback increases the likelihood of behavioral change: drivers who see their emissions per trip reduce annual mileage by up to 5% and shift 10% of trips to public or active transport. Visualizing “trees needed to offset” reinforces the impact of small choices.