MPG indicator.

If you press the trip button a couple of times, after the trip A & B, you should see a screen that says ODO on the lower left. Also when you turn off the car, you will also see your ODO total miles in your dash.

 

The Gen II had a lifetime average mpg, the Gen III does not. Some people use Trip B for lifetime and never reset. The only problem with this is if you ever need to disconnect the 12V battery you will lose this number.

 

For a real time numeric MPG, get a ScanGauge.

 

I wondered that myself. So people who are doing display vs calculated MPG comparisons are only doing it for most recent tank or trip?

For Gen III, is there a lifetime MPG accessible via ScanGuage or ODB or something else?

 

Where is this lifetime average mpg? I have a 2004 and I've never seen this. Perhaps you referring to the average mpg on the MFD? B/c that resets on fill-up, so at best that is average mpg per tank.

 

Some are doing that. Some of us are keeping longer term fuel logs (paper, spreadsheet, or online or mobile apps) and computing these outside the car.

No. To get this, you must keep your own fuel log.

 

You don't see it because it started with the 2006 models.

 

You will need a scan gauge to get a numerical, instant MPG readout.
Lifetime MPG can be done by using Trip A or B (your choice) and never resetting after fillups, but will only display the "displayed" lifetime MPG, which is optomistic.

I track my lifetime mileage with both a spreadsheet and with Fuelly.com. The spreadsheet also allows me to back calculate my displayed lifetime MPG (62.8 mpg) vs my calculated MPG (59.3 mpg).

 

...or if you get your car serviced with a Toyota dealership that turns off the maintenance reminder but before that accidentally resets your Trip B....(that's what happened to me) out:

 

Sorry. Misunderstood you. In either trip A or B, look at the middle of the bottom screen - cons(fuel comsumption # in MPG). Left to that is total miles since reset. To the right it says ave speed in MPH. Looks like you have to just reset the trip A or B every time you want to know your current MPG.

 

And just like the 2010+ trip MPG indicators, it lasts only until you hit reset or have the 12V battery die.

Only way to be sure is to keep your own records. And that way you get real MPG and not a calculated one that is high by a couple of MPG.

 

Ah, that explains it. For clarity, then...

 

... and to me, when visiting a different shop during a road trip.

Also, I reset one trip meter daily, and the other when refueling. For some reason, I must accidentally clear the wrong meter at least once per year. So the paper log is necessary to retain the bulk of the car's history.