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How to Calculate Your Miles Per Gallon

We buy cars based on their Miles Per Gallon (MPG) numbers, but how do we really know if the carmakers are giving us the real facts? In addition, will your car start using more gas as it ages?

These are questions that many people here in  Orange ,  CA  are curious about, so that's why  Fix Auto Orange  is bringing you this valuable information.

You surely don't need to be a car expert to perform these simple and fairly simple tests in order to calculate your MPG.

So, to find out for yourself about the MPG of your vehicle, by using one of these methods to surmise the actual amount of fuel that your car burns.

1.) The Odometer Method

By using your odometer, your MPG can be calculated in just four simple steps:

Step 1: Fill the vehicle's gas tank completely and jot down the vehicle's odometer reading (total mileage).

Step 2: When the time comes to refuel, fill the tank completely and record the number of gallons that it took to fill the tank and the vehicle's new odometer reading. Once a pair of odometer readings are taken, your MPG can be accurately calculated.

Step 3: Calculating the distance driven is done by subtracting the previous odometer reading from the new one.

Step 4: Dividing the number of miles driven by the number of gallons it required to fill the tank is the final step with this method. The result you will come up with is the vehicle's MPG for that particular period of driving.  

Example: 320 miles divided by 13.5 gallons equals 23.70 miles per gallon. The MPG for that driving period would be 23.7.

2.) The Trip Odometer Method

If you use your vehicle's trip odometer, your accurate MPG can be calculated by:

Step 1: Filling the vehicle's gas tank completely and resetting the trip odometer is an alternate method that many people use. Note: Sometimes it's simpler to just use the main odometer and don't look at the trip odometer readings, especially in cases when the vehicle is new.

Step 2: When it's time to refill your tank, fill it completely. Record the number of gallons that it took to fill your tank and also write down the mileage on the trip odometer and then reset the trip odometer.

 Step 3: Divide the number of miles driven by the number of gallons it required to fill the tank. The result is the vehicle's MPG for that driving period.

Example: 285 miles divided by 9.5 gallons equals 30 miles per gallon.

Knowledge is king, so knowing your MPG is a smart move. Many drivers do this every year or six months at least in order to see if the number has fluctuated. These two easy ways of achieving this are something anyone can do, so give it a shot.

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Sources: DMV.org, AAA and NHTSA