Are you really getting over 45mpg?

There isn't enough information in your post to make a serious diagnosis. Things that will affect mileage:
1. Longer trips work better for mileage averages. The car needs to be running for at least 15 minutes before everything stabilizes. Short trips kill good mileage. For me, a trip needs to be at least 15 miles before the car is running at peak efficiency.

2. Outside ambient temps greatly affect mileage because the car isn't as efficient in cold weather, and the ethanol used in winter gasoline cuts efficiency as well. My winter mileage averages 42-44 mpg, my summer mileage 48-52mpg.

3. How you drive makes a big difference too. As you get experience with the Prius and the MFD readouts, you'll learn the fine art of gliding and other tricks to increase fuel efficiency. Don't forget to look out the window rather than at the MFD. There are tips for mileage elsewhere in this forum.

4. Your car is new. Give it a few thousand miles to get settled in before getting too worked up about the mileage.

5. The less weight you carry, the better the mileage. Although you can get overly obsessive about weight, I don't think the normal stuff people carry, such as tool kits, umbrellas, etc. have THAT much effect.

I find that I can get reasonably close to the EPA highway mileage of 51 mpg, but nowhere near the 60 mpg for city driving. Generally, the national average is 44-46 mpg. Not EPA, but close to twice the mileage of anything else its size.

Good luck and I think you'll love the car.
Bob

 

First of all, Welcome to PC!!

Yes, many many people are getting over 45, even during the winter months when, due to many factors, the Prius mileage usually goes down a bit. It may be to your interest to just stop and refill the tank. Reset the mileage and MPG. You know our tank has a bladder in it, so each fill up will be different. its supposed to hold 11.9 gallons (if i remember correctly), but in the winter time, you will never get even close to that much in it, unless you live in the deep deep south.

Next, check the pressure in your tires. Pump the front ones up to 42, and the rear to 40. Chances are the dealer has them very underinflated so the car will ride "smoother" during the test ride.

Finally, you are in the real break in period. Your tires, your motor, and yes, even you as a hybrid driver, are all breaking in as you learn to drive your new spaceship. After about 5000 miles you will pass this mark, and you should be (or could be) obtaining very good mileage (meaning over 50) on a consistent basis.

Just give it some time. its a real "get to know you" period between you and your car. Also, do a search on pulse and glide here on PC. Once you can master that technique, you'll be consistently getting well over 50 mpg per tank.

 

Search for the term "guess gauge".

The bars really don't tell you how much gas is left. You generally have about 10 gallons in the tank, sometimes more and sometimes less.

Oh and I always get between 48.5 and 52. I've just gone past 10k on the 2007 I bought in June.

 

Furthermore, don't try to figure gas used from the gas gauge. The gas gauge, AKA the "guess gauge", is only good for an approximation of how much fuel is left in the tank. When it gets down to one bar or starts flashing, you can be sure that it's time to refuel, but it's no good for analytical work. The mileage displayed on the MFD is withing a couple of mpg from perfect, so go with that.

We run about 44 mpg in the winter and about 55 mpg in the summer, but as already said in the previous post, there are numerous factors that will affect your mileage. Spend some time reading the posts on this site and you will get a good idea of those factors.

Tom

 

Yes, pulse and glide is your friend. With it, you can get significantly more than 50 mpg if you work at it hard enough.

 

It's your first tank. WAY too early to determine the mileage you can expect over the lifetime of this car. From reading this forum it seems most people who have bought new will tell you that the first few tanks were among their worst. There will be a break in period with the engine as well as the tires. Bob makes many good points but just to address your specific question, I get 47-48 mpg average driving it just like I drive any other car.
Don't panic. Your car is likely fine. Give it a couple thousand miles and a few tanks and I'm confident you will see at LEAST 45mpg. More if you try.

 

I've seen a lot of new owners who found the first tank way lower than all others. The cynic in me surmises that the dealerships are adept at filling the tank until the top pip just lights, but the tank is not really full like when the automatic cutoff trips at the station.

Definitely wait until your second tank is measured, imho.

 

track your stats for 5 tanks then post back. your "full" tank obviously wasnt. did you notice how far you had gone before the first bar disappeared? and im guessing by your tone that you assume you will not be getting much more miles out of the nearly half tank you have left?

read thru this forum about mileage, the MFD, etc...all your questions will be answered and then some.

 

During the winter my mileage gets as low as 45 mpg. In the summer it's about 50. Once your car breaks in it will get better. Also, driving style, wind, and weather can have big effects on MPG

 

The best advice I can give is to read the "sticky" posts at the top of each forum. There is much wisdom gleaned by experienced drivers. Read until you begin to understand. As you follow the advice which works for the hybrid, your mileage will improve.

 

My worst mpg ever was the first tank after I drove the car off the lot with 13 miles on the odometer. Just over 40 per the MF display.

My second worst mpg ever was after I disconnected the 12V battery to work on the front seat (to disable SRS). About 41 mpg per the MF display.

So along with the factors that others have mentioned, I believe there is a lowering of the FE due to the HV (and possibly other) ECU(s) learning parameters while you drive. Each tank gave better FE than the one before for 3 or more tanks when I first got the car, and that pattern repeated when the 12V battery was disconnected and then reconnected.

 

Yes I'm getting over 45mpg - typically avg +/- ~50mpg by MFD or hand calc. Worst tank was ~ 43mpg on an all-highway trip from Phoenix to L.A. Haven't seen worse than 48mpg from a tank otherwise. Best tank = 53mpg.

 

I filled up today and got just over 400 miles on 7.4 gallons. This lined up exactly with what my MFD said.

 

Hi lIblekh,

The Prius gas tank has a rubber bladder. When its new its not stretched out. With each tank it will stretch a little more. Eventually it will stop stretching. This takes a few months. I have not had a 45 mpg tank since May 06, after buying in Feb 06. First tank was 43.7 mpg. Last year I did not have any tanks worse than 58 mpg from May through November. Although the last tank was at 48.6 (those 5 degree F mornings really use allot of gas).

 

Welcome to the Prius life!

It's still technically winter here so I'm only getting 48mpg. Once it warms up, I'll be back up to 52+.

Be patient, and put some more air in your tires.

That's demented!

 

My worst was about 43mpg and best about 59mpg.I av around 47 in the winter and 54 in the summer.The more you feather the gas peddle the better the mpg and the heaver the lead foot on the peddle the worse the mileage.Pulse and glide is the way to go for best mileage.

 

Even though the book says the tank holds 11.9 gallons doesn't mean that when it reads full there is 11.9 gallons of gas in it, since the bladder within the tank does not expand as much when the car is new and/or the weather is cold. I usually fill at 2 PIPS but have never put more than 7.7 gallons in mine to bring it up to full. Do a search for "bladder" and read about how many have run out of gas because they thought they "should have had X gallons of gas left."

And no, I am not getting 45 mpg right now. My trips are too short and the weather is too cold. And my engine block heater isn't working. But I will when the spring comes.

I did find an improvement when I hit 5K miles though.

 

Both you and your new Prius will break in. The car will break in mechanically, and you will learn how to drive it more efficiently. Other than that I think the 2 main variables are the length of your trips and the ambient temperature. Short trips and low temps will lower your mpg. Last summer I used to like how "53 mpg" rhymed, and was glad to get that. This tank I'm at 57 mpg, which does not rhyme, but that's with the same commute routes and low temps mid 30's and highs 65-70. Your mfd will train you to drive most efficiently. Other things to watch out for are heating/AC. Don't use them unless you need them. Keep your tire pressure at least 40 front, 38 rear, although I think that's not as important. Ethanol content in gas will lower your mpg too. The symbiosis with your new Prius is assured.