Plan the leg, not the whole map.

How to use the planner

1. Read your fuel gauge. Enter the current amount, not the tank capacity. If the HUD shows a percentage, convert it to the same unit as your economy figure or use the percentage as a “unit” and enter a range factor accordingly. The formula is unit-agnostic as long as fuel, economy and distance agree.
2. Find your economy. The engine panel lists fuel efficiency in km/L. Use that number, not a guess from another car. If you have swapped an engine, re-check the panel.
3. Set a reserve. The reserve is fuel you refuse to spend. A 15% reserve is a planning choice, not an official game rule. Increase it for storms, unknown roads or a heavy trailer.
4. Add a cargo penalty. Weight slows the car and burns more fuel. The game does not publish a formula, so this is your own estimate. Start conservative and adjust after a test run.
5. Add jerrycans. The July 2026 patch added craftable 20-liter jerrycans. The tool uses 20 L by default; change it if you are working in a different unit.
6. Plan the leg. Enter the distance to the next known stop, not the distance to the end of the world. The output tells you whether you have a margin or a problem.

The formula

The calculator uses four steps:

• Usable fuel = fuel in tank × (1 − reserve % / 100).
• Adjusted economy = economy × (1 − cargo penalty % / 100).
• Safe range = usable fuel × adjusted economy.
• Trip margin = range with jerrycans − planned distance.

If the margin is negative, the tool converts the shortfall back into fuel and divides it by the jerrycan size to estimate how many extra cans you need. It rounds up, because a half-full can is not a plan.

What the tool assumes

• Fuel economy is constant for the whole leg. In reality, terrain, speed, idling and weather change it.
• The cargo penalty is a linear reduction. The game’ actual weight model may be non-linear.
• You can refuel from jerrycans without loss. The game may have spillage, container weight or transfer time.
• The planned distance is one-way. For a return trip, double it or add the return leg as a separate calculation.
• The reserve is a personal safety margin, not an official threshold.

What it cannot know

The tool cannot know the game’ exact tank sizes, consumption curve, cargo-weight formula, idling burn, storm fuel use or the fuel cost of keeping the engine running for heat. It also cannot know whether a route is blocked, flooded or covered in snow. It is a margin calculator, not a route planner.

We will update it with measured launch-build values if and when the developer publishes them, and we will keep the “example only” labeling until then.