Have you noticed your current gas mileage on the cluster and you keep asking yourself what is good gas mileage and if your gas mileage is good or not? Well, if this is the case and you are troubled by this question, then you are at the right place because there will be a lot to cover on this topic.
- MPG Meaning
- How To Calculate?
- What Is Good MPG?
- Good MPG Benefits
- How To Improve It?
- Best MPG Cars!
- Conclusion
- F.A.Q
Gas mileage or fuel economy as you would other people call it is the same thing. And frankly, one of the most important things to consider when looking to purchase a car. Why so?
Well, this is the case, because whenever you purchase a car, you are basically stuck with it. You cannot change the gas mileage on your car. You can improve it by improving your driving style but that’s it. Later on, we will learn how you can do this. But the important thing for you is to look for the best gas mileage possible if you want to get the most out of your money.
First, we are going to learn what MPG means and how you can calculate the MPG on your car. Then we will learn what is good gas mileage and the benefits of having a good gas mileage on your car. Then we will cover the ways that you can try to improve the gas mileage on your car.
After that, we will list the best cars when it comes to good gas mileage in certain categories. Namely, sedans, SUVs, minivans, trucks, etc. We will list the best options that are out there for each of these categories and what are the best deals. So, if you want to learn more, follow along.
MPG Meaning
Now before we dive into complex topics like finding out what is good gas mileage, let’s take a look at the basics first. I bet that there are a ton of people who are not into cars that are reading this article and want to learn more when it comes to this topic. More precisely what is MPG in general? So, let’s explain in this chapter the meaning of MPG.
MPG is a simple abbreviation that refers to the phrase “miles per gallon”. This is a measurement that determines how much mileage can you get from a car.
Let’s say that you get 20 MPG. What does this mean? This means that the efficiency of your car is 20 MPG. In other words, you can drive 20 miles for a single gallon in your gas tank.
What is worth noting is that this MPG number is constantly fluctuating. This means that it is not a steady measurement.
This is why carmakers are marketing their cars with the EPA ratings for fuel economy. This means that the cars are tested in a lab environment and the numbers for them are approved.
For example, there could be official numbers that say that a certain vehicle has a fuel economy of 20 MPG in the city, 25 MPG on the highway, and 23 MPG combined.
All these numbers are for certain conditions. So, if you drive in the city all the time, you will get 20 MPG. Or if you drive on open road you will get 25 MPG and so on. Do you get the idea? It’s dead simple.
But how can you calculate this number precisely? Well, that’s what we are going to discuss next. Before we learn what is good gas mileage.
How To Calculate MPG?
Now before we cover what is good gas mileage, let’s cover how can you calculate MPGs like in the good old days when there were no computers and all that jazz.
Nowadays, you can clearly see the fuel consumption at any given moment on most cars. Even though, you shouldn’t rely much on it because in most cases, this is not an accurate number because it tells you the consumption that you have at the moment.
So, if you press on the throttle hard, it can drop to 8 MPG or if you drive on the open road it could rise to over 25 MPG. The most correct way is to do the old fashion trick.
And that is by filling your tank to the neck and then driving 100 miles. Once you reached the 100-mile mark. Just top off the fuel tank again and pay attention to how many gallons it will take.
Then divide the 100 miles that you drove by the number that you poured into the tank and you will get the right number of how good your gas mileage is.
But what is good gas mileage? Well, more on that we are going to learn in the following chapter where we will learn everything about what is good gas mileage and what is a bad gas mileage.
What Is Good Gas Mileage?
So, what is good gas mileage? When can we say that a vehicle has a good gas mileage? This is a rather complex topic because the gas mileage of the vehicle depends on many factors.
The biggest factor is the size of the vehicle. Let’s take for example a light-duty truck like the F-150. This type of vehicle cannot be compared to something like a Prius.
First, it is rather heavy. The body of this vehicle weighs quite a lot more than the Prius. The second thing, it is less aerodynamic.
This means that the F-150 cuts through the air much more difficult than the Prius or another smaller vehicle.
So, when determining a good gas mileage and answering the question of what is good gas mileage, we need to take these factors. First, it is the type of the vehicle, second is the air drag coefficient of that specific vehicle.
This is why you shouldn’t compare vehicles that are in different categories. A pickup truck or an SUV will never be as fuel-efficient as a smaller vehicle.
So, when you compare cars, learn their type and also learn in what size category they belong. Whether they are compact cars, mid-size, or full-size. These types matter a lot when it comes to determining what is good fuel mileage.
Later on, in the article, we are going to cover which are the best performers in a couple of categories in terms of fuel economy. So, you don’t want to miss that. Now let’s learn more about the benefits that you will get when choosing a vehicle with good gas mileage.
Good Gas Mileage Benefits
Now since we learned what is good gas mileage, let’s take a look at the benefits of having a good gas mileage. What are the pros of having a car that delivers more miles per gallon? Let’s elaborate.
Having a car that performs well when it comes to fuel economy is really beneficial for you as an owner but also for the environment.
Cars waste gas and this creates toxic fumes that go into the atmosphere and pollute the environment. Something that nobody wants but that is the price to pay if we want to have cars. So, it is a necessary evil.
What we can do is to reduce the impact of this pollution and we can do this by driving vehicles that pollute less.
We can choose vehicles that have smaller engines and get the same work done as vehicles with bigger engines that pollute more. Simple as that.
Nowadays there are inline-4 and even inline-3 turbo engines are starting to be introduced to the market. Even though these engines are so small, they still deliver a lot of power and get more MPG than your average engine.
So, we can say that one of the benefits of having a good fuel mileage is doing less damage to the environment.
The second benefit in our opinion would be the fact that you will save more money. Especially in these times when gas prices are breaking records. With a proper MPG, you can save hundreds on a monthly basis especially if you use your car for work.
This is why if you are on the market for a used or new car, choosing the one that has the best gas mileage possible might be an excellent idea.
How To Improve Your Driving Habits To Improve The Gas Mileage
We learned what is good gas mileage and how to determine a good gas mileage. Now, let’s spare some time learning how to improve your driving habits in order to improve this characteristic of your car. Since a ton of cars have good gas mileage but their owners have driving habits that ruin the performance of the car in this aspect.
So, the first bad habit when it comes to worsening your fuel economy is that you always jump the car.
Don’t do that, when you jump the car and press hard on the throttle, especially at a traffic light, the engine will consume a lot of fuel. Especially if you push it to the redline at each shift.
Doing proper gear shifts should be at low as 2,000 RPM, anything above this RPM range will deliver poor gas mileage. That’s the number one factor.
The second factor that can ruin your fuel economy is problems with the internals of the engine. There are a lot of people that are not aware that their car has problems inside.
So, they drive the car like this for a really long time. Then they start to notice the change that they visit the gas station more and more often than usual.
This problem can be caused by a number of factors. Namely, a bad O2 sensor, bad MAF or MAP sensor, bad injectors, and bad spark plugs. All these things affect your fuel economy. So, don’t ask yourself what is good gas mileage, just go and sort these things out. But what are the best mileage vehicles? More on this we are going to cover next.
Best Gas Mileage Vehicles
Now as we cleared what is good gas mileage, let’s take a look at the best gas mileage vehicles. We will cover the best gas mileage cars in several categories.
First, we will cover the smallest category which includes hatchbacks, then we will move to the bigger sedans. We will also discuss the minivans, SUVs, and trucks. So, if you want to learn more, follow along.
Best Gas Mileage Cars
We learned what is good gas mileage, now let’s learn what are the best mileage cars. The first category that we will cover is the cars that deliver the best fuel economy. We will primarily focus on hatchbacks and small cars. And frankly, these are the cars that you want to look at if you want to get something really fuel-efficient.
The first car when it comes to this aspect is definitely the Toyota Prius. The Prius is a gas mileage legend. Even after all these years and three generations, the Prius still is one of the dominant forces in this segment. Even though, not as it used to be in the past, it still delivers excellent fuel economy compared to competitors.
More precisely, the Prius will get you about 50 MPG combined. Which is an excellent number. In city driving, you can expect this number to drop to 38 MPG and on the highway, you can expect to get about 62 MPG. This is the number one choice that you should consider.
The next on our list of compact cars that we would like to recommend is the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Blue. This model is also really efficient and delivers excellent fuel economy. More precisely, it will deliver you 40 MPG in the city, 55 MPG on the highway, and 55 MPG combined.
And last but not least is the Toyota Corolla LE Hybrid. This model will also deliver excellent fuel economy. With 37 MPG city, 59 MPG on the highway, and 48 MPG overall, it is one of the best performers out there when it comes to what is good gas mileage.
Best Gas Mileage Sedans
We covered what is good gas mileage and now let’s cover our second category of cars that have excellent gas mileage. And this category includes sedans. Sedans are a class above hatchbacks and compact vehicles. And here their fuel economy can suffer a bit. So, you cannot expect the same numbers as the previous category.
Our first recommendation in this category is the Honda Accord Hybrid EX. This car is basically the best out there in this category of cars when it comes to fuel economy. It delivers an overall MPG of 47. The MPG for the city is 40 and 52 MPG on the highway.
The second recommendation that we will give you is the Kia K5 LXS. The K5 is another new model that performs really well when it comes to fuel economy. What is important to note is that this car is not a hybrid, so numbers are a bit lower. This car will get you 20 MPG in the city, 52 MPG on the highway, and 32 MPG combined.
Another sedan that we would recommend that falls in a bigger category than the previous two cars is the Nissan Maxima. The Maxima is a large car and even though this is the case, the Maxima delivers a good performance.
More precisely, it delivers about 17 MPG in the city, 36 MPG on the highway, and 25 MPG combined. For a large car like this, this is understandable.
Best Gas Mileage Minivans
We covered what is good gas mileage, now let’s see what are the most fuel-efficient minivans out there. Minivans are basically one of the heaviest cars. They are neither a car nor a van.
They are perfect for large families that need that extra space and frankly, in this market, there is not a lot of competition, the main competitors are the Chrysler Pacifica, Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, and Kia Carnival.
When it comes to fuel efficiency. We can say that the Toyota Sienna XLE performs the best out of the bunch. Even though not a hybrid, it still manages to deliver 22 MPG combined. In the city, this number drops to 14 MPG while on the open road it gets to 43 MPG.
The Honda Odyssey is our second pick. The Odyssey gets 14 MPG in the city, 33 MPG on the open road, and 22 MPG combined. Overall, not much worse than the Toyota.
Our third pick is the Chrysler Pacifica. The Pacifica performs slightly worse. It gets 13 MPG in the city, 33 MPG on open roads, and 21 MPG combined. So, we learned what is good gas mileage, now let’s move to the next category.
Best Gas Mileage SUV
We learned what is good gas mileage now let’s take a look at the best gas mileage SUV. When it comes to SUVs, the market is extremely big and new models pop out every day. So, things change rapidly.
Even though, a lot of SUVs cannot be regarded as fuel-efficient. But still, there are a few that we would like to recommend to you. We will only include one hybrid though.
When it comes to hybrids, we would like to include the Honda CR-V Hybrid EX. This model is based on the proven CR-V that we all love. This model is delivering excellent performance in this category of small SUVs. It will easily get you 32 MPG in the city, 37 MPG on the highway, and 35 MPG combined.
The next model that we would like to include is the Toyota RAV4 XLE. This model is also performing quite well, not as good as hybrids but still decent. With 19 MPG in the city, 38 MPG on the highway, and 27 MPG combined. Perfect choice if you drive a lot on the highway.
Best Gas Mileage Truck
We learned what is good gas mileage, now let’s learn what is the best performer in this aspect when it comes to light-duty trucks. Trucks perform the worst in comparison to other types of cars since their shape is not as aerodynamic. But still, there are good performers.
Our first recommendation is the Chevy Silverado 1500 LT Duramax diesel. This diesel model delivers good performance. It will easily get you 15 MPG in the city, 34 MPG on the highway, and 24 MPG combined.
Our second recommendation when it comes to trucks is the RAM 1500 Big Horn Diesel. This model is really good when it comes to fuel economy. It easily gets 16 MPG in the city, 31 MPG on the highway, and 23 MPG combined.
Facts about Fuel Efficiency: Understanding Gas Mileage, Hybrid Cars and More
- Good gas mileage means using less gas to travel a longer distance per mile, measured in miles per gallon (mpg).
- Highway driving typically provides better gas mileage than city driving, as it requires less idling and higher revolutions per minute (rpm).
- Gas mileage can also be measured in gallons per 100 miles (gpm), which helps determine a vehicle’s fuel economy.
- The smaller the engine, the lighter the vehicle’s weight, resulting in better fuel efficiency.
- The quality of fuel can affect gas mileage as well, as it can lower the friction in the engine.
- The fuel octane rating also affects gas mileage, with higher octane burning less fuel more efficiently.
- Aggressive driving burns more fuel, while driving slowly and accelerating gradually saves fuel.
- Hybrids are fuel-efficient vehicles that use a combination of gas and electric engines to operate, resulting in cleaner and more efficient operation.
- A vehicle’s condition affects fuel economy, with newer or well-maintained vehicles generally achieving better gas mileage.
- The best fuel-efficient cars include electric and non-electric vehicles, with the Toyota Prius Eco Hybrid getting up to 56 mpg and the Chevrolet Colorado 2WD Diesel getting up to 23 mpg.
Conclusion
In this article, we have covered quite a bit when it comes to the question of what is good gas mileage. First, we learned what MPG means and how you can calculate the MPG on your car.
Then, we covered the ways that you can try to improve the gas mileage on your car. Lastly, we have covered the most efficient vehicles out there that will deliver you excellent gas mileage and lower gas bills.
F.A.Q
Now let’s answer some frequently asked questions.
What Does MPG Mean
MPG refers to the fuel economy that one vehicle has. More precisely it indicates how many miles per single gallon can you drive with that car. So, if you get 20 MPG, it means that you can drive 20 miles with 1 gallon of gas with this vehicle.
How To Improve Gas Mileage
You can improve the gas mileage by driving more carefully. Don’t press too much on the throttle and the fuel economy will drop. Don’t jump the car at traffic lights. Also, make sure that you don’t have other issues with components like O2 sensors, MAF, MAP sensors, or fuel injectors. All these components could ruin your MPG.
What Is A Good MPG
A good MPG can really depend on the vehicle that you drive. For example for a truck, 17 MPG combined is a good MPG for a gas engine, or 23 MPG for a diesel. For a car, a good MPG is 32 MPG, For an SUV a good MPG is 27 MPG. These numbers really vary from one vehicle type to another. This is why you need to learn the number for your specific vehicle class.
What Is Considered Good Gas Mileage For A Car
Good gas mileage for a car is anything above 32 MPG combined. Some cars can even reach 47 MPG, especially hybrids. So, if you are on the market for a car and want good mileage, go for a hybrid.
What Is A Good Gas Mileage For A SUV
Good gas mileage for an SUV is anything above 27 MPG. There are better options out there that can get even 37 MPG combined, but these SUVs are hybrids and are far more expensive than your standard gas engine.
What Car Gets The Best Gas Mileage
The best gas mileage award definitely goes to the Toyota Prius. The Prius is basically the best performer out there when it comes to hybrids. It easily gets 38 MPG in the city, 62 MPG combined, and 62 MPG on the highway.
