How to Calculate Gas Mileage

How to calculate gas mileage yourself can be a bit of a process at first if you’re not used to it. Gas mileage is affected by a number of factors when driving around Hammond, and your specific make and model has an EPA-estimated gas mileage rating. If you’re curious about the gas mileage you’re actually getting, we have a general estimate gas mileage calculator below to help you have a better understanding of your fuel efficiency. And if you’re experiencing lower gas mileage ratings, you may be due for general maintenance.

What is Good Gas Mileage For Your Car?

SUVs have different gas mileage expectations from trucks and sedans. Smaller vehicles require less energy to propel forward and larger vehicles require more energy. And if you drive something like a hybrid, you’ll generally receive better mpg ratings.

We recommend first looking at your specific make and model’s fuel ratings and comparing that against other model years for your vehicle. It also helps to look at models in your vehicle’s class for the given year to see how those gas mileage ratings compare.

And as we hinted at above, your vehicle may be due for some maintenance if you’re noticing a decline in mpg ratings. We handle plenty of common services at our service center, including tire and oil services.

Gas Mileage Calculator

Here’s a rough gas mileage calculator for New Lenox and Chicago drivers to try out:

1. Read your make and model’s owner’s manual to learn how much your gas tank holds. Fill your gas tank completely and reset your trip odometer. You can also record the exact mileage after refilling your vehicle as an alternative.
2. Drive your car as you would normally and note if you drive any differently than usual. Any changes in your driving behavior can change your mpg ratings.
3. Drive until your tank gets low– but not too low to trigger a low tank notification– and refill your car’s gas tank completely. Note how many gallons you added to your tank before moving forward. Waiting to refill until your tank is lower will give you a more accurate reading overall thanks to a probable mix of different driving conditions. We recommend this if you can do so.
4. Divide the number of miles you’ve traveled by the number of gallons of gas you refilled your vehicle with. This will be the miles driven divided by the gallons of gas used.
5. You now have your calculated gas mileage for your vehicle!

Try this multiple times from start to finish to get an average for your car. If you forget to check how many gallons you filled up your car at the pump, you can go by where your tank was when you refilled (i.e. ¼, ½, or ¾). Divide your total tank capacity to get the number of gallons refilled, and divide the miles driven by that approximation. This will be less accurate since the gas gauge in some cars isn’t always 100% accurate.

Learn More About Gas Mileage Factors with Sutton Ford

How to calculate gas mileage is just one factor when it comes to understanding how fuel efficiency works. If you have more questions about your gas mileage, contact our service center today to learn more about how to maintain your vehicle for the best gas mileage possible. It’s also easy to schedule service with us while utilizing our variety of rotating service specials!