Alabama → North Carolina · Interstate 65 / Interstate 20
What does it actually cost to drive from Birmingham, Alabama, to Charlotte, North Carolina? The hard numbers: 684 km (425 miles) of pavement primarily along Interstate 65 / Interstate 20, 6h 31m behind the wheel, and roughly $57.22 in fuel alone — that is 62.2 liters (16.4 gallons) of regular unleaded at a 0.92 USD/liter benchmark. Anyone leaving Birmingham, the largest city in Alabama and former steel-industry capital of the Deep South, typically carries samples, signed proposals, or service equipment to deliver in Charlotte, the Queen City of the Carolinas and the second-largest US banking center, and aims to be home the same evening. It is worth confirming whether the haul fits inside your daily hours-of-service window or whether an overnight at a midpoint hotel makes more sense. Applying the IRS standard mileage rate (2025) mileage rate of $0.43/km ($0.69/mile), the gross outbound reimbursement settles at $294.12. Attach the visit purpose, client name, and plate number to the Clara receipt so the journal entry lands directly in the business-travel expense account.