So I read through all 69 posts to the "In WARM areas, how much gas remaining..." topic and was sad to find no actual answer to the question. So I am restarting the thread, hoping that someone might be able to provide an answer, not an anecdote. I have 40k miles and still have no clue! In the last Toyota that I owned (20 years ago), it clearly stated something like "2.5 gallons of gas remain in the tank when the fuel low indicator light comes on". Surely with all of the techies on this site somebody can find the answer in some Toyota training manual or technical document... I'm guessing (and could be wrong) that there have been no 'breakthroughs' in gasoline measurement technology in the Prius and that the fuel tank uses a float type indicator like other cars. Also, I thought that the bladder system was oriented towards the TOP of the tank (to reduce vapor emissions). This should not affect the remaining in the tank when the bar starts to blink. Only the amount that can be squeezed in at fill-up. Thanks,
Given that Toyota replaced my fuel filler and gauge to make the system more 'accurate' but never told me any details, all I could provide you with is a "maybe 1 gallon" anecdote. Real facts are almost impossible to come by...
I'm sorry if I was the one who sent the topic off course but there really is no set value. If it was any other Toyota, I would say 10 litres of fuel when the low fuel light comes on. With the Prius, I can't say for sure because it will vary between the seasons. All I can say for sure is that you have at least 10 miles since that seems to be the shortest that anyone has gone before running out of fuel on this board. I don't remember who travelled the longest on the blinking bar and what distance.
If you really want to find out, carry 2 gallons of gas with you and reset a trip OD when it starts blinking, and wait til you get a christmas tree display on your instrument panel. To be honest, those that have done just that have variances from 30 miles to 87 miles or more. As disclaimers say, your results may vary, DRASTICALLY!
The answer that I got and gave was that it varies from 1-3 gallons from vehicle to vehicle but is generally around 2.5 gallons. Toyota has not said.
