| Step 1. |
Filling the vehicle's gas tank completely and writing down
the vehicle's odometer reading (mileage). |
Example: The last time the tank was filled, the odometer
reading was 32,645.1 miles. |
|
| Step 2. |
When it's time to refuel, filling the tank completely and
writing down the number of gallons it took to fill the tank and the
vehicle's new odometer reading. Once two odometer readings are taken, MPG
can be calculated. |
Example: The next time the tank was filled, the odometer
reading was 33,001.3. It took 13.5 gallons to fill the tank. |
|
| Step 3. |
Calculating the distance driven by subtracting the previous
odometer reading from the new one. |
Example: The distance driven would be 33,001.3 minus
32,645.1, or 356.2 miles. |
|
| Step 4. |
Dividing the number of miles driven by the number of gallons
it took to fill the tank. The result is the vehicle's MPG for that driving
period. |
Example: 356.2 miles divided by 13.5 gallons equals 26.4
miles per gallon. The MPG for that driving
period would be 26.4. |
|
|
Alternate
Method |
|
If you use your vehicle's trip odometer, MPG can be
calculated by |
|
| Step 1. |
Filling the vehicle's gas tank completely and re-setting the trip
odometer. |
Note: Sometimes it's easy to get the main odometer and trip odometer
readings confused, especially if the vehicle is new. |
|
| Step 2. |
When it's time to re-fuel
- Filling the tank completely
- Writing down the number of gallons it took to fill the tank
- Writing down the mileage on the trip odometer
- Re-setting the trip odometer
|
Example: It took 9.5 gallons to completely fill the tank, and the
trip odometer reads 335 miles. |
|
| Step 3. |
Dividing the number of miles driven by the number of gallons it took to
fill the tank. The result is the vehicle's MPG for that driving period. |
Example: 335 miles divided by 9.5 gallons equals 35.5 miles per
gallon. |
