How to Calculate Your Gas Mileage

• Also try: How to Get Better Gas Mileage
  

Introduction

• Because of the high price of gasoline, it has become more and more important for people to be able to identify and monitor their car's fuel efficiency. Knowing how to calculate your gas mileage is an essential way for you to track how much money you are spending on fuel - and monitor any improvements that you may be making to your car's fuel consumption. Don't worry. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to calculate your car's gas mileage. It's really pretty simple. Here's how:

Calculate Your Gas Mileage

• 1. Take your car to the gas station and fill up your tank. Write down the exact mileage found on your odometer reading.
     

     Creative Commons photo by Corey Schaffer
  2. Drive around like you normally would until your car needs refueling.
  3. Fill your tank up again - and this time record how many gallons it takes (you can find that number on the gas pump).
  4. Check your odometer again and write down the new number.
  5. Subtract your first odometer reading from your second one. This will tell you how many miles you've driven.
  6. Divide this number by how many gallons it took to refill your car. The resulting number is your car's current MPG.

• (Example)

Keep Track of Your Gas Mileage

• Now that you know how to easily calculate your car's gas mileage, you can begin to start monitoring your car's fuel efficiency on a regular basis. If you are currently undertaking ways of improving your car's gas mileage, you can use this handy spreadsheet below to record your fuel efficiency over an extended period of time and monitor how effective those methods are in reducing your fuel consumption.

• Simply click on the Printer icon in the top-right hand corner of the document and fill in your own data. To download this document as an Excel template, click on the link below the document.

Tips & Suggestions

•   When filling up your tank, make sure to choose the same type of gasoline each time. This will help give you a more accurate gas mileage reading.
•   It is better to do your gas mileage calculations during a period of "Normal" driving - how you usually drive. Since cars get better mileage on highways and freeways, calculating your gas mileage while on a long road trip might not give you a very accurate reading.
•   If you don't have a calculator handy, use this handy gas mileage calculator

Resources

• WikiHow: How to Calculate Your Car's Fuel Efficiency
• Fueleconomy.gov: Calculating Your MPG
• MPG o' Matic: Gas Mileage Calculator and Widget
• eHow: How to Calculate Gas Mileage
• Docstoc.com: Gas Mileage Calculator

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