Mobile Pet Grooming Van Fuel Cost Calculator

Getting a fuel cost takes six quick entries. The tool works out the driving fuel first, then the generator fuel, then the cost of each appointment.

1. Enter the miles you drive in a normal working day, counting the trips between clients and the drive home.
2. Enter your working days per month and your van fuel economy in miles per gallon. A loaded grooming van usually gets 10 to 14 miles per gallon.
3. Enter your fuel price per gallon and the generator fuel you use per day, if you run a generator while you groom.
4. Enter the grooming appointments you complete in a day. Press Calculate, or press Enter. The monthly fuel cost appears first and large, with the gallons, the cost per appointment and the yearly cost below. Press Reset to clear the form and start over.

The formula has three short steps. First, work out the gallons you burn driving. Gallons per month = miles per day x days per month / miles per gallon. A van driving 60 miles a day for 22 days at 12 miles per gallon burns 60 x 22 / 12 = 110 gallons. Second, turn gallons into money. Driving cost = gallons x fuel price. At $3.50 a gallon, that is 110 x $3.50 = $385. Third, add the generator. Monthly fuel cost = driving cost + generator fuel per day x days per month. With $4 of generator fuel a day, that is $385 + $88 = $473. The cost per appointment is the monthly fuel cost divided by the appointments in the month.

The same distance divided by miles per gallon times price formula is the standard fuel cost formula used by every fuel cost calculator. If you want to check your van fuel economy first, our fuel economy calculator works it out from your fill-ups.

A grooming van drives 60 miles a day, works 22 days a month, gets 12 miles per gallon, and fuel costs $3.50 a gallon. The generator uses $4 of fuel a day, and the groomer completes 6 appointments a day. Here is exactly what the calculator does.

1. Driving gallons: 60 x 22 / 12 = 110 gallons per month.
2. Driving cost: 110 x $3.50 = $385.00.
3. Generator fuel: $4 x 22 = $88.00.
4. Monthly fuel cost: $385.00 + $88.00 = $473.00. Appointments in the month: 6 x 22 = 132. Cost per appointment: $473.00 / 132 = $3.58. Yearly fuel cost: $473.00 x 12 = $5,676.00.

As a second check, the same van driving 40 miles a day for 20 days at 15 miles per gallon and $3.20 a gallon, with no generator fuel and 5 appointments a day, costs $170.67 a month, or $1.71 per appointment.

Daily miles move the bill more than anything else. The table below keeps 22 working days, 12 miles per gallon and $3.50 a gallon, and changes only the miles.

Fuel economy is the second lever. At 60 miles a day, a van getting 10 miles per gallon burns 132 gallons a month and pays $462, while the same van at 14 miles per gallon burns 94.29 gallons and pays $330. Use the figure from your own fill-ups, not the brochure figure, because the grooming build, the water tank and the equipment add weight.

Cluster appointments by area. A route that crosses town twice costs more than a route that works one neighborhood in the morning and the next in the afternoon. Book new clients into the gaps on days you are already in their area, and keep a waitlist for the streets you visit most.

Keep the van serviced and the tires at the right pressure, because a loaded van with soft tires burns noticeably more fuel. Carry only the water and supplies the day needs, and switch the generator off between grooms when the weather allows it. A small inverter generator uses about $3 to $6 of fuel a day, so even half a day of generator time saved is real money over a month. Fuel is only one running cost, so also check our pet grooming van insurance cost calculator to see the full monthly picture.

Fuel per appointment is the number to price from. In the worked example it is $3.58, which is small next to a $75 to $150 grooming price, but it adds up to $473 a month, so it still belongs in the price. Add it to the grooming price, or list it as a trip fee so clients see why it is there.

When fuel prices rise, a fuel surcharge is fairer than a silent price rise. The cost per appointment from this calculator is a good starting point for that fee, and you can update it whenever the pump price moves. To check whether your prices cover all the costs, not just fuel, run the numbers through our break-even calculator and see how many appointments a month you need.