Average Speed Calculator
Calculate average speed from distance and time.
Enter a distance and the time it took to find the average speed — in km/h, mph and m/s. Useful for running, cycling, driving and physics problems.
Formula / method
Examples
75 km/h
12 km/h
The formula it uses
Average speed is total distance divided by total time. Enter how far you travelled and how long it took, and the tool returns the single steady speed that would cover that distance in that time. Keep your units consistent with what you expect back: kilometres and hours give km/h, miles and hours give mph. If your time is in minutes, convert it to hours first, or the result will be off by a factor of sixty.
The calculation runs live in your browser as you type, so you can compare different trips quickly.
A common misconception
Average speed is not the average of two speeds. If you drive somewhere at 60 and return at 40, your average is not 50; it is the harmonic mean of the two, which works out lower, because you spend more time at the slower speed. Always divide the whole distance by the whole time rather than averaging the individual legs. For a running-specific view of the same relationship expressed as minutes per kilometre or mile, see the Running Pace Calculator.
Where it's used
- Working out your average speed over a completed road trip
- Runners and cyclists checking their pace across a route
- Estimating how long an upcoming journey will take
- Comparing which commute route is faster on average
- Logging the average speed of a delivery or fleet vehicle
Real-world examples
- Driving 300 km in 4 hours gives an average speed of 75 km/h.
- A cyclist covering 60 km in 2.5 hours averages 24 km/h.
- Running 10 km in 50 minutes is an average of 12 km/h, a 5:00 min/km pace.
Did you know?
Average speed is total distance divided by total time, not the average of two speeds: drive somewhere at 60 km/h and back at 40 km/h and your round-trip average is 48 km/h, not 50.
FAQ
Is this the same as instantaneous speed?
No — it is the average over the whole trip. Your actual speed varies; this is total distance divided by total time.