When determining what is good gas mileage, there are several factors to take into account. Look at the type of vehicle, fuel octane, and type of fuel. Hybrid and electric vehicles attain the best fuel economy, although numerous gas-powered vehicles get more than 30 miles per gallon (mpg).
What is Gas Mileage?
Gas mileage is measured in mpg. If you’re wondering what mpg is, it simply stands for miles per gallon, or the number of miles your vehicle can travel down the streets of Deltona on one gallon of gas. For instance, if your vehicle gets 30 mpg, it travels 30 miles per one gallon of gas.
The mpg is usually higher on highways compared to city driving since city driving necessitates slower speeds, idling, and higher revolutions per minute (rpm).
The higher a vehicle’s mpg, the less money you’ll be spending on gas, the less time you’ll be spending at the gas station, and the less harmful emissions you’ll produce by driving.
Every year, the Environmental Protection Agency tests the latest vehicles to be produced to determine what their mpg is. This isn’t always easy as mpg can vary, depending upon driving habits, the kind of terrain driven on, and levels of traffic. That said, the EPA’s official estimates can give you a fairly accurate estimate of how efficient your vehicle is when you’re driving in the city or on the highway. Here are the three primary categories of mpg that they measure:
- City mpg: City mpg tends to be lower than highway mpg in gas models. This is because when you drive in the traffic of Orlando or Altamonte Springs, you’ll be braking and accelerating far more often due to traffic. It also takes more gas to drive at lower speeds, because your vehicle is relying less on the momentum generated by high speeds and more on the gas pedal.
- Highway mpg: Driving on the highway is far more efficient for a number of reasons. You brake far less on the highway, so you don’t need to use the accelerator as much to get going. Also, at high speeds, your vehicle has generated much more momentum, so you can coast more often, only tapping the accelerator now and then when your vehicle begins to slow down.
- Combined mpg: The metric simply refers to the mean between your city and highway fuel economy numbers.
What is Good Gas Mileage?
Now that you know what the gas mileage is for your car, you might be wondering if it is an ideal number. There’s no right or wrong answer to this question, but you will want to consider the type of vehicle you’re looking at.
For example, it would make sense to compare models within the same class as the weight and dimensions of a vehicle can affect the gas mileage. With that said, you can expect a compact sedan to have better fuel efficiency than an SUV and an SUV to have better efficiency than a pickup truck.
This is also true for gas-powered cars vs. electric or hybrid cars. If you prioritize fuel efficiency in Normal, you should consider which sort of vehicles will provide the best efficiency while providing other factors that are right for your lifestyle
What is a Good MPG for a Gas Model?
We’ve answered the question, “What does mpg mean?”. Now, let’s take a look at what counts for good mpg numbers these days on gas models. Good mpg numbers are relative to the type of vehicle you drive. Take a moment to review this list of “good” combined mpg ratings per vehicle segment:
- Compacts: 34 combined mpg
- Mid-sized Sedans: 32 combined mpg
- Full-sized Sedans: 30 combined mpg
- Compact SUVs: 30 combined mpg
- Mid-size SUVs: 25 combined mpg
- Full-Size SUVs: 23 combined mpg
- Mid-size Trucks: 26 combined mpg
- Full-size Trucks: 24 combined mpg
What is Good MPG for a Car?
Low-profile sedans are a great option for commuters who want efficiency but aren’t quite ready to switch to a hybrid or EV. With a sleek sedan, you can take on your daily drives all week long before you’ll need to stop for fuel. What is good mpg for a car? Many sedans have eclipsed the 30 mpg mark and are approaching 40 mpg:
- Nissan Sentra: 33 mpg
- Volkswagen Jetta: 35 mpg
- Kia Forte: 35 mpg
- Hyundai Accent: 36 mpg
- Mitsubishi Mirage: 39 mpg
What is Good MPG for an SUV?
If you have a growing family or need to tow gear, having an SUV is a must. That said, scoring a spacious ride doesn’t mean you need to waste fuel. What is good mpg for an SUV? Depending on size, 25 mpg and up is considered good. Here are some popular SUV options with efficient specs:
- Subaru Outback: 29 mpg
- Toyota Corolla Cross: 32 mpg
- Nissan Kicks: 33 mpg
- Nissan Rogue: 33 mpg
- Toyota Venza: 39 mpg
What is Good MPG for a Hybrid or EV?
When comparing hybrid vs. electric vehicles, you’ll find a lot of similarities. Both deliver strong levels of efficiency to help you take on every drive without worrying about where the next gas station is located.
However, these model types differ in how they generate power. Hybrid systems vary, but generally, an electric motor and gas engine will work in tandem to boost efficiency. EVs don’t use gas at all, so they deliver stunning efficiency.
Like EVs, some hybrids must be charged, while others are self-charging. EVs and hybrids are both very efficient but suit different types of drivers. What is good mpg for a hybrid or EV? Explore popular EV and hybrid models with strong efficiency here:
- Kia Niro FE Hybrid: 50 mpg
- Toyota Prius Eco Hybrid: 56 mpg
- Hyundai Ioniq Electric: 136 mpg
- Tesla Model S Long Range: 111 mpg
- Chevrolet Bolt EV: 119 mpg
Related Post: 15 Easy Ways to Increase Your Gas Mileage
How to Calculate Your MPG
Some vehicles feature displays that give you real-time gas mileage numbers. Although this is a helpful way of informing you, the best way to calculate your mileage is to run the vehicle for about 100 miles with a full tank. Then, top off the tank with gas.
Divide the number of miles you drove by the amount of gas you used. For example, if you drove 100 miles with a full tank and filled up five gallons of gas, you got 10 mpg.
When it comes to gas mileage, it’s important to know how much your vehicle is costing you every time you drive. As the standard way of measuring fuel economy, mpg is an effective way of determining if a vehicle is going to save you money at the pump. Also, knowing how to calculate your mpg can help you become a more efficient driver.
Gas Mileage Calculator
- Do the following steps to calculate your car’s gas mileage in Springfield:
- Fill your gas tank completely and either reset your trip odometer or record the exact mileage after refilling. Be sure you also find out how much gas your tank holds by checking your vehicle’s owner’s manual.
- Drive your car as you would normally. Note that if you accelerate more briskly or slowly or drive differently, your “typical” calculated gas mileage may be different than what you record.
- Refill your tank and record your mileage. If you wait longer to refill, your calculation will be more accurate as it will be based on a more balanced mix of driving conditions.
- The easiest way to calculate your gas mileage is to simply divide the number of miles traveled by the number of gallons of gas your vehicle took to refill. In sum, that’s miles driven divided by gallons of gas used.
- If you forget to check how many gallons you filled up your car at the pump on your gas receipt, you can go by where your tank was when you refilled (i.e. ¼, ½, or ¾) and then divide out your total tank capacity accordingly to come to the number of gallons refilled. Then, divide miles driven by that approximation. This will be less accurate since the gas gauge in some cars isn’t always 100% accurate. With a digital gas gauge that shows you exactly how many gallons of gas are in the tank, this is much easier than an analog gauge, though.
So, it’s good to calculate the MPG over several tanks of gas to get an average for a more accurate understanding of your vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
Why Does Gas Mileage Matter?
Why is it important to know the gas mileage of your car? Knowing how efficient your vehicle is helps you in several ways.
First, it can help you determine how much you’ll spend on gas for business purposes. If you use your car for business, you need to be able to forecast how much you’ll need to spend on various things, including gas prices. This variable cost can be challenging to determine if you don’t know your MPG.
Second, you can’t write off all the maintenance and costs of your vehicle on your taxes. Instead, you only need to count the portion that’s for business. The IRS allows you to use a standard write-off for business use. If you want to be more precise, you can figure out the specific cost of fuel. This means determining your gas mileage and multiplying that by the number of miles you drive for business.
Finally, knowing your current MPG can help determine if a new car is a good investment for your business. Comparing the new car’s miles per gallon with your current car will help you determine part of the return on your investment.
If your car gives you a low MPG then don’t worry there are some ways to improve your car gas mileage by following our guide on 15 Easy Ways to Increase Your Gas Mileage.