How to Calculate Your Gas Mileage

When you see an advertised gas mileage rating for a vehicle, you’re looking at an estimate. Though they might be made in the same factory with the same materials, each individual car performs differently. Given that you can’t simply take the manufacturer’s word for the gas mileage you will get, how can you measure and calculate your gas mileage? In today’s blog, Thompson Sales takes a look at calculating gas mileage.

Why Doesn’t Your Car Get the Labeled MPG?

Many factors result in your car getting lower gas mileage than the company’s reported average. At Thompson Sales, we see this quite often. Many owners wonder why they don’t get the same gas mileage as the sticker, and the answer is usually the same. Our Thompson Sales team has found that the cause of disappointing gas mileage is usually due to the owner’s driving habits and the optimistic estimates of the car company. 

Car companies often don’t test mpg ratings in conditions that reflect actual daily driving habits. Do you live in a windy or rainy area? Or an area with a lot of hills? Or on roads with potholes? Car companies don’t take into account all these factors that can reduce gas mileage. They also can’t consider driving habits that might decrease efficiency. If you like to press the pedal to the floor, you might find yourself guzzling more gas. Likewise, if you’re less consistent with the gas, throttling up and down, you might see worse gas mileage as a result. 

Keeping Track

Though the process is a simple one, it takes a bit of discipline to get into the habit. In order to accurately calculate your gas mileage, you can download a phone app or create a spreadsheet. At Thompson Sales, however, we prefer the old-fashioned strategy of pen and paper. You should keep track of the following:

1. How many gallons you put in your car every time you fill up.
2. How many miles you put on your car between every visit to the gas station.

Calculating the Mileage

It’s important to either reset your odometer each time you fill your gas tank or write down the specific miles at the time of filling. This way you can keep track of how many miles you put on your vehicle before the next trip to the pump. How to calculate:

1. Fill your tank completely.
2. Write down the mileage or reset the odometer at the time of filling.
3. Drive until you need to refill. 
4. Fill your tank again.
5. Divide the number of miles since the first filling by the number of gallons put into the car on the second filling. 

Find the Perfect Car at Thompson Sales

Regardless of whether you want a brand new economy car or a pre-owned SUV, Thompson Sales is a hometown Springfield, Missouri car dealership you can trust. We offer a great selection and we always help our customers out with great tips and friendly service. Come find your car today! If you feel like reaching out over the phone first, feel free to give us a call at (417) 763-6811.