Cargo Van Fuel Cost Per Mile: Gas vs Diesel at Today's Prices

At the EIA’s average prices for the week of October 26, 2026, regular gasoline is $4.269 a gallon and diesel is $6.352. That makes a gas van at 15 mpg cost about 28.5 cents a mile in fuel, and a diesel van at 18 mpg about 35.3 cents. Diesel costs 49% more per gallon, so a diesel van has to get about 49% more miles per gallon just to break even per mile.

How do you calculate van fuel cost per mile?

Divide the price of a gallon by the van’s miles per gallon.

Fuel cost per mile = price per gallon / miles per gallon

Use the mpg your fuel cards and odometers show, not the sticker figure, and the price you actually pay. The prices here are US averages from the EIA’s weekly gasoline and diesel series: $4.269 for regular gasoline and $6.352 for on-highway diesel, both for the week of October 26, 2026.

What does a cargo van cost per mile in fuel?

The table uses the formula with those two prices. The mpg values are examples to show the spread. They are not claims about any model, so look up your own.

Van mpg (example)	Gas at $4.269: cost per mile	Gas: fuel per 1,000 miles	Diesel at $6.352: cost per mile	Diesel: fuel per 1,000 miles
12	$0.356	$356	$0.529	$529
15	$0.285	$285	$0.423	$423
18	$0.237	$237	$0.353	$353
21	$0.203	$203	$0.302	$302
24	$0.178	$178	$0.265	$265

Read across a row and the diesel van always costs more at the same mpg, which is the price gap. Read down a column and each extra 3 mpg is worth less than the one before, which is how the fraction works. Going from 12 to 15 mpg saves about 7 cents a mile on gas. Going from 21 to 24 saves about 2.5 cents.

For a quick check at your own price and mpg, use the US fuel price and cost calculator on this site, which runs on the EIA weekly data.

Is a diesel van cheaper to run than a gas van?

Only if its mpg advantage is large enough. At these two prices the break-even is simple: divide the diesel price by the gas price. $6.352 / $4.269 is 1.49. A diesel van needs about 49% more mpg than a gas van to cost the same per mile. A gas van at 15 mpg costs $0.285 a mile, and a diesel van needs about 22.3 mpg to match it.

Prices move. Diesel was $3.477 in the week of January 5, 2026 and hit a record $6.529 in the week of September 21, 2026, the highest in a series that starts in 1994. If you are comparing vehicles for a purchase, run the numbers at the price you expect over the vehicle’s life, not today’s.

How does speed change van fuel economy?

The US Department of Energy’s fueleconomy.gov driving habits page says gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 50 mph, and that observing the speed limit improves fuel economy by 7% to 14%. It also puts each 5 mph over 50 mph at the equivalent of paying an extra $0.30 a gallon, on a $4.28 gas price.

Apply that range as an illustration. A gas van at 15 mpg costs $285 in fuel per 1,000 miles. If a 7% to 14% improvement applied, that is a saving of about $20 to $40 per 1,000 miles. A diesel van at 18 mpg costs $353 per 1,000 miles, so the same range is about $25 to $49. Your own result depends on the van, load, route and the share of miles at speed. DOE’s range is about driving within the limit, not about any specific device.

A UK government reference point goes the same way. The UK Department for Transport’s TAG data book (v2.03, table A1.3.8) puts a diesel van at about 14.5% less fuel per mile at 60 mph than at 68 mph.

What does a speed limiter do for a van fleet?

It fixes the top speed at a number the fleet chooses, so the fast miles stop happening regardless of who is driving. An independent one-year trial by CE Delft for Novem (2009), covering 177 vans and 30 trucks, measured an average 5% fuel saving after speed limiters were fitted. That is a fleet average, because only the fast miles change.

Many vans have no fleet-level speed setting, or one that a driver can change. A sealed limiter works on the throttle signal or fuel line, not through the OBD port, and leaves brakes and steering alone. Below the cap the driver has full control. Which limiter suits which van is covered in pickup and van fleet speed limiters and truck and van speed limiters. Products include DBW for electronic throttles, SENT for newer vehicles with SENT sensors, and System 80 for older mechanical diesels. Any van with an electronic (drive-by-wire) throttle, which is almost every modern van, takes the DBW unit, so there is no model-by-model fitment list. Heavier trucks work the same way; see truck fuel cost per mile.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate fuel cost per mile for a cargo van?

Divide the price per gallon by miles per gallon. At $4.269 a gallon and 15 mpg, that is about $0.285 a mile.

What is the fuel cost per mile for a diesel van?

At $6.352 a gallon, it is about $0.423 a mile at 15 mpg and $0.353 at 18 mpg. The mpg values are examples.

Is diesel or gas cheaper for a cargo van?

At the October 26, 2026 EIA prices, diesel needs about 49% more mpg than gas to cost the same per mile, because it costs 49% more per gallon.

How much does speed affect van fuel economy?

The US Department of Energy says observing the speed limit improves fuel economy by 7% to 14%, and that gas mileage usually decreases rapidly above 50 mph.

What is the current gas price used here?

$4.269 a gallon for regular gasoline, the EIA average for the week of October 26, 2026. Diesel was $6.352.

How do US fleets buy AutoKontrol speed limiters?

Through Scorpion, our parent group’s US team. Start with the quote form, and fitting is agreed per job, by your own technicians or our engineers and partners.

Know the cost of every van mile

At 20 vans and 25,000 miles each, every 5 cents per mile of fuel is $25,000 a year. Tell us what you run and how many vehicles, and we will match a limiter to each one and price it. Get a quote or book a free consultation. How US fleets buy is set out on our US speed limiters page.

AutoKontrol has made speed limiters in Britain since 1985 and supplies fleets in more than 50 countries, with approvals including ISO 9001, UTAC, TÜV and VCA.