Have you ever calculated the amount of gas per gallon it takes to run your car? Miles per gallon is the gauge that most people use to find out how many miles your car runs per tank. This simple test can be done with simple math. Why you ask?
1. To effectively know how many miles your car can go per tank. (MPG)
2. To find ways in the future to improve your cars gas efficiency.
3. To detect when your car is in need of repair.
4. To Compare your current MPG with that of your future Cars MPG.
MPG Calculation :
1. Fill your gas tank and reset your odometer trip A to Zero.
2. Jot down how many gallons it took to fill up your tank. (14 is the average)
3. Drive normally as you would drive and when it’s time to refill look at the odometer reading.
4. Divide the number of miles you drove by the number of gallons your car took to fill up.
5. The result is your cars MPG as an average of city and highway miles.
My car MPG is 27.2 miles per gallon on 16 total gallons of driving is 435 total miles. I think that’s pretty good but could I do better of course just have to find some smart ways to drive more efficiently. Imagine if you had the new Prius which goes about 50 miles per gallon, with a full tank of gas (12gallons) you could possibly go about 600+ miles before refilling it. That would be an efficient car if I must say.
Now if you could, do the same test on your own to get an exact MPG for your car. Comment below if you already know what your cars MPG is and how do you attempt to increase the miles and possibly tweak out more miles from your car.
By increasing your MPG you can watch your money.
*Update- I tweaked 440 miles out of my car on 1 tank of gas increasing my MPG to 27.5 mpg.
*Pic is the sharp looking Subaru concept Impreza that will never be released. (So Sad)
There is a free App for Android phones called Car Data Manager and it will help you track expenses related to your car. Before using the App, I kept track of mileage using an Excel spreadsheet. Keeping track of mileage is quick and easy and you can make the entry while the attendant is pumping the gas!While it's great to take a snapshot of what your car does on mileage over time, make sure to check repeatedly. Track your mileage around town and also on highway driving. Gas is only going to go up and we have a responsibility to not only be smarter about money, but to make sure there is an Earth for future generations. Earth Day is April 22, a Sunday, so get out with your family and enjoy!
@Studio-Thanks for your input into this topic. I will look into the app you mentioned. I am always looking for ways to simplify my life and this app sounds like it could help out with that. I look forward to hearing from you on how many miles your car gets per tank in your next comment.
Hey.. I own a 2012 Honda Civic -Coupe and luckily for me, i don't have to calculate anything. I have a screen that tells me my MPG and updates it as i drive. I was very disappointed when you pointed this out to me because the advertised MPG was avg 35MPG but my car is only showing:333 Miles23.3 MPG on a full tank!Not sure how to improve this or get more miles out of my car… hmmmm
@Miss Real- I have read Car and Driver magazine and what the car companies publish for a new cars MPG is for the most part exaggerated by a few miles and it is done to sell more cars. I'm sure your not the only civic owner asking the same question. I also read that if you stay within the 60-70 miles per hour range on the highway that you will be driving very effeciently and not wasting exxcess amounts of gas. If that fails I would make a written complaint to HondaUSA to see how they handle your complaint and if they possibly have a solution for your situation.
@StudioRase downloading app as we speak! This is perfect, since I too did all the calculations myself and tried keeping track of everything manually, but think this app will definitely be more helpful in terms of tracking!