New Prius Owner Struggling with MPGs

Hi Everyone,

First time Prius owner here, as of three days ago! I bought a certified pre-owned, 2012 red Prius c - four and couldn't be happier! I'm still trying to get used to driving so that my MPG's are maximized, but I have a couple questions about fuel economy:

1. My trip to campus is about 20 miles, averaging about 50/60 mph. I'm driving mostly on the highway, so there are a few very gradual hills and the drive takes about 27 -30 minutes. I've noticed that my MPG's are usually in the mid to high 30's for the first 15-20 minutes or so of driving, and for the last portion of my drive, it's really hard to get anything above 42 mpg's. Is this normal? I'm driving in eco-mode constantly, I drive behind bigger cars in order to decrease wind resistance and I avoid revving up into the power bar as much as possible. It just seems to take a while for the car to reach "acceptable" mpgs....and even then...it's less than the average 46 Highway.

2. At the end of my commute, the trip summary usually displays a much higher average MPG than I was actually traveling. For instance, today I surprised to see 48 MPGs, especially because the max MPGs I reach while actually in motion was around 42. Does this number include the times when the car is going all electric at stoplights? Could that be what is making this number seem higher?

Anyway...I know there is a learning curve. And the fact that it's cold outside (35-40F) probably doesn't help either...but any tips for squeezing some extra MPG's out of the car would be great!

 

Thanks for the reply! That video was super helpful...can't wait to drive home to test some of this stuff out!