BetterMileage.org - Real World Tips for Improving Fuel Economy

It is possible to get more miles per gallon out of the car that you currently drive just by making a few simple everyday changes.

By being less aggressive when you accelerate, by lightening the weight of the load in your trunk and by driving within the speed limit you will find more cash in your wallet at the end of the month

Browse some of our featured content

- 2008 EPA Mileage Estimate Change

- How you are drastically hurting your fuel economy

- Driving behind trucks for better mileage

- Real World Gas Mileage - 2008 Hybrid Vehicles

- Is a diesel vehicle right for you?

- Simple car maintenance to improve your MPGs

- Honda Accord Hybrid reviewed

Real World Gas Mileage – 2007 Hybrid Vehicles

Model Vehicle: Toyota Prius
Miles per Gallon: 48 city 45 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $963

Model Vehicle: Honda Civic Hybrid
Miles per Gallon: 40 city 45 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,057

Model Vehicle: Nissan Altima Hybrid
Miles per Gallon: 35 city 33 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,305

Model Vehicle: Toyota Camry Hybrid
Miles per Gallon: 33 city 34 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,305

Model Vehicle: Ford Escape Hybrid FWD
Miles per Gallon: 31 city 29 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,479

Model Vehicle: Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD
Miles per Gallon: 28 city 27 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,643

Model Vehicle: Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4WD
Miles per Gallon: 28 city 27 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,643

Model Vehicle: Lexus RX 400h 2WD
Miles per Gallon: 28 city 25 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,831

Model Vehicle: Toyota Highlander Hybrid 2WD
Miles per Gallon: 28 city 25 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,709

Model Vehicle: Lexus RX 400h 4WD
Miles per Gallon: 27 city 25 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,831

Model Vehicle: Toyota Highlander Hybrid 4WD
Miles per Gallon: 27 city 25 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,709

Model Vehicle: Honda Accord Hybrid
Miles per Gallon: 24 city 32 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,643

Model Vehicle: Saturn Aura Hybrid
Miles per Gallon: 24 city 32 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,643

Model Vehicle: Saturn Vue Hybrid
Miles per Gallon: 23 city 29 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,709

Model Vehicle: Lexus GS 450h
Miles per Gallon: 22 city 25 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $2,068

Model Vehicle: Chevrolet Silverado Classic 15 Hybrid 2WD
Miles per Gallon: 16 city 19 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $2,611

Model Vehicle: GMC Sierra Classic 15 Hybrid 2WD
Miles per Gallon: 16 city 19 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $2,611

Model Vehicle: Chevrolet Silverado Classic 15 Hybrid 4WD
Miles per Gallon: 15 city 18 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $2,775

Model Vehicle: GMC Sierra Classic 15 Hybrid 4WD
Miles per Gallon: 15 city 18 highway
Annual Fuel Cost: $2,775

Based on:
45% highway driving
55% city driving
15,000 annual miles
The price of fuel type used by the vehicle
Data from FuelEconomy.gov

Five Fastest Ways to Hurt Your Fuel Economy

Five Fastest Ways to Hurt Your Fuel Economy

With the cost of gas steadily rising year after year, you are no doubt beginning to feel the sting of high fuel costs. For myself, I feel this sting whenever I get into my vehicle and gaze at the fuel gauge. Every quarter tank is anther $12.50, and though my vehicle only costs around $45 or so to fill, it still feels as if I am sucking money from my bank account every time I start my car.

Do you think that your driving is affecting your fuel economy? If you do the things below, you’re probably correct.

1. You floor it when you accelerate. Everyone needs to feel a bit of muscle from their vehicle every now and then, but when you do decide to floor it you are burning 50%-100% more fuel than if you accelerate gradually.Push the gas pedal half way, you’ll still reach the speed limit and you’ll save a few bucks at the same time. Aggressive driving can lower your gas mileage by up to 33% at highway speeds and by up to 5% around the city. By driving less aggressively, that 5-33% improvement in fuel economy can result in a gas savings of $0.16 to $1.06 per gallon.

2. You drive over 55 miles per hour on the highway. Many studies have repeatedly shown that speeds in excess of 55-60 miles per hour cause a dramatic decline in fuel economy, approximately 10% for every 5 mile per hour increase in speed… effectively costing you $0.20 to $0.30 more per gallon of gas. This means that driving at 80 miles per hour is burning 50% more fuel than 55 miles per hour. That adds up mighty fast on the long, open road. By staying within the speed limit you can improve your fuel economy by 7-23% and see a gas savings of $0.23 to $0.74 per gallon.

3. You drive in too high of a gear. Drive in a gear that is appropriate to the speed that you are traveling at. Though keeping your revs low is a way to minimize fuel consumption, traveling in high gear at a low speed will cause you to floor it when you want to accelerate, meaning high gas usage for a gradual increase in speed.
   
   
4. You carry around useless weight. There’s no reason to be transporting your dumbbells, textbooks and golf clubs every day of the week. Only have in your car what you need every day. Reducing the amount of weight that you are hauling around will help you save on gas.This is because the vehicle won’t have to work as hard to travel and that means that it consumes less gas. Hauling an extra 100lbs can reduce the number of miles per gallon that you get by up to 2%. Each 100lbs of removed weight results in a gas savings of $0.03 to $0.06 per gallon.

5. Your vehicle isn’t properly maintained. Your tires aren’t properly inflated, your oil needs a change, and your spark plugs aren’t firing optimally. Keeping your vehicle in tip-top shape can save you quite a bit of gas; in fact, it can even pay for the costs of the maintenance! A properly tuned engine can yield a fuel economy improvement of up to 4% with a savings of around $0.13 per gallon. Fresh air filters can improve fuel economy by as much as 10% and yield a savings of $0.32 per gallon. Properly inflated tires will improve fuel economy by up to 3% and will result in a per gallon savings of $0.10. Changing your motor oil and using the manufacturer’s suggested grade will result in a 2% improvement in fuel economy (using the wrong grade of motor oil can result in a 5% reduction of fuel economy!) and will produce a $.03 to $0.06 savings on a gallon of gas.

Pioneering the Hybrid Vehicle

Honda – Pioneering the Hybrid Vehicle

When the Insight first launched it was a monumental achievement in both aerodynamics and efficiency, the drag coefficient was the lowest of any vehicle that Honda had produced to date and the small, but surprisingly efficient, gasoline engine was coupled to a capable electronic motor which assisted the gasoline engine under heavy loads and steep terrain.

Stellar fuel economy and efficiency was the result, owners were reporting an average of over 70 miles per gallon with combined city and highway driving.

The Big Deal Behind a Small Car

The Insight was about more than a revolutionary engine and drive train, though that is no small part of the revolutionary mechanics that make the Insight awesome. The Insight is a vehicle built entirely with efficiency in mind. The Insight is about all the working parts coming together to form a completely capable and unique vehicle.

The body is made from the lightest possible materials and aluminum is utilized extensively throughout the body and structure. This means that the drive train, which is small and economical, does not have to work very hard to move the Insight from place to place.

The body has also been designed to keep the drag as low as possible, allowing the Insight to slice through the air. There is less of a “pushing” force against the Insight as it travels down the road, allowing the engine to work less, burn less gas, and propel the Insight further on, well, less.

Innovation as Well as Insight

Regardless of how innovative the Insight is, it is merely a vehicle. A vehicle is, after all, nothing without a driver and in order for the Insight to coerce someone into becoming a driver it has to offer certain creature comforts, creature comforts that are, for lack of a better phrase, expected and necessary on any modern vehicle.

Inside the cabin, both the driver and the passenger will find themselves resting on comfortable seats that offer an exceptional visual experience. The cabin, you see, appears to be more of a cockpit rather than a run of the mill vehicle interior. The dash is slick and curvy, accenting futuristic design and progressive intentions.

The instrument cluster is clear and concise; easy to read while driving and, yet, strangely attractive at the same time. In fact, the Insight is actually a vehicle that someone would rather enjoy driving. The Insight is an efficient, economical, and revolutionary machine.

The Canadian Government Wants You to Buy a Hybrid

The Canadian Government Wants You to Buy a Hybrid

Americans, take note, for the Canadians have figured something out first. The Canadian government is offering cash rebates to anyone who purchases a hybrid vehicle to the tune of $2,000 in cold, hard, equivalently valued Canadian cash.

The Reasoning behind Two Grand

It’s no secret that hybrid vehicles are more efficient and environmentally conscious than their gasoline powered brethren. They manage to go further using less fuel and they have lower emissions and less harmful waste. It only makes sense that a government dedicated towards meeting future emissions goals would offer such an incentive.

For a buyer, the main drawback to a hybrid vehicle is the cost, typically, a hybrid costs $3,000 more than a non-hybrid and many people are not convinced that the Hybrid will equate to $3,000 in fuel savings over the period of time in which they will own the vehicle. The Canadian government has essentially removed the price difference, making the choice between a hybrid and a non-hybrid an easy one to make, so let your conscious guide the way.

The (Hopeful) Result

The Canadian government has a lot riding on this rebate. The expense to the government is currently unknown, as Hybrid vehicles are new entrants to the market, and their popularity is rising steadily every year. Whereas you used to be able to spot an Insight or Prius from down the street, Hybrid versions of popular vehicles are beginning to spring up and look the same.

Critics argue that the government is offering too much of a financial incentive for car buyers and that the consumers should come to the realization of the viability of hybrid cars on their own. However, proponents quickly point out that the reasons for choosing a hybrid, be it fuel efficiency, rebate, or otherwise, are irrelevant so long as the buyer drives the vehicle home.

Regardless of the reasoning or logic behind the purchase, the hopeful result is that more buyers will take advantage of the rebate, and that more hybrids will take to the roads. Long term, the Canadian government is hoping that the growing demand for fuel will begin to stabilize.

Yea, But How Does that Help US Buyers?

If you want the efficiency and technology of a hybrid but you don’t want to pay the premium in price, do some investigating. Many states offer rebate and incentive programs that combine nicely with offers from the major insurance companies.

So, take a hint from the Canucks a buy a hybrid, eh!