🚗 How to split a road trip

Split a road trip by putting fuel, tolls, accommodation and shared food on a ledger as they happen, paid by whoever’s card was out. The driver should add fuel from the servo, because fuel is the cost everyone forgets and the one that adds up. If the car belongs to one person, agree in advance whether a wear-and-tear allowance goes on the ledger.

Updated 2026-08-23. Example figures are in Australian dollars and made up.

Example: Sydney to Melbourne, the coast road$575.60 in

LineAmount

Fuel, NowraRuby paid, split everyone

$96.40

Motel, MerimbulaHamish paid, split everyone

$210.00

Fuel, Lakes EntranceRuby paid, split everyone

$102.10

TollsRuby paid, split everyone

$28.60

Pies and coffees, all of themTess paid, split everyone

$78.50

Wear and tear allowance, agreedRuby paid, paid to Ruby by the passengers

$60.00

Settle up in 2 paymentsAmount

Tess pays Ruby

$115.21

Tess pays Hamish

$8.14

Person	Position
Ruby	is owed $115.21
Hamish	is owed $8.14
Tess	owes $123.35

3 people, 6 lines, 2 transfers to square up. Names and amounts are made up for the example.

What goes wrong

Fuel only gets added when someone remembers

Add it at the pump. Thirty seconds, while the receipt is still printing.

The car owner feels short-changed

Agree a wear-and-tear figure before leaving and add it as a line paid by the owner and split among the passengers.

Tolls arrive a week later

Add them with the date they were incurred. The ledger handles late lines fine.

Run it in Zeroed

Start a ledger, name it, add the people. Ten seconds, no accounts.
Send the link to the group chat. Everyone taps their name.
Add lines as they happen. Untick anyone a line is not for.
At the end, the settle-up plan shows the fewest transfers. Tap one to send the reminder.

Start a ledger Just split one bill

Questions

How do you split fuel on a road trip fairly?

Every fill-up goes on the ledger split among everyone in the car for that leg. Passengers who join for part of the trip are only on the legs they rode.

Should the car owner pay for fuel?

They pay their share like anyone else. Some groups also agree an allowance for the owner for tyres and servicing; if so, put it on a line so it is visible.

What about the person who drove the whole way?

Driving is effort, not money, so it is not on the ledger. Buy them dinner, and put the dinner on a line split among everyone else.