Enter the total gallons of fuel remaining and the average miles per gallon of the vehicle to estimate the distance to empty (DTE).

Distance to Empty (DTE) Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the distance to empty of a vehicle. 

DTE = G * MPG
  • Where DTE is the distance to empty (DTE)
  • G is the number of gallons remaining in the tank
  • MPG is the average miles per gallon the vehicle achieves

To calculate the distance to empty, multiply the gallons of fuel remaining in the tank by the average miles per gallon.

What is DTE?

Definition:

DTE, short for distance to empty, is a term used in the automotive space to describe the total amount of distance a vehicle can travel before it runs out of fuel, hence the name distance to empty.

How to calculate distance to empty (DTE)?

Example:

The following example problem outlines how to calculate the distance to empty of a vehicle.

First, determine the total number of gallons of fuel remaining in the tank. In this example, a truck has 23 gallons remaining in the tank.

Next, determine the average miles per gallon the vehicle gets. Reading the dashboard on this truck tells us it has averaged 20 miles per gallon.

Finally, calculate the distance to empty using the formula above:

DTE = G * MPG

DTE = 23 * 20

DTE = 460 miles