I live in Seattle. I got my Prius about a week ago and its been great. However, I see an average of 43mpg. I haven't driven much, just 300 miles since I got the car. I dont dry much on freeway. Any idea why so low milage? I will greatly appreciate any insight, tips, tricks...
low milage on a new prius
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seaprius said:
You won't get the most fabu mileage for a few thousand miles. Tires, car, driver, all have to get broken in some. Also, the weather is a factor. Warmer weather, better mileage. Be patient. You'll get there.
We've all asked the same question.
These conditions can reduce your milage:
Low tire inflation,
Cold weather,
Short trips,
Low and high speeds,
Hard braking.
If you are expecting to get the milage on the window sticker you should lower your expectations. I would suggest that you set a goal of about 50 mpg.
I think that it is too soon to start worrying.
Roger
Low tire inflation,
Cold weather,
Short trips,
Low and high speeds,
Hard braking.
If you are expecting to get the milage on the window sticker you should lower your expectations. I would suggest that you set a goal of about 50 mpg.
I think that it is too soon to start worrying.
Roger
If your driving it like your previous car, 75 on the turnpike, the usual instant, stay up with traffic acceleration, ect 42/44 is what you'll get. Not too shabby! Will probably improve as you play with it but will return to mid forties later as you get back to your normal driving habits.
shart trips are the #1 killer
You don't get better than 25mpg for the first 5 minutes if the engine is cold. When you need to make a short trip, try to add other errands to it. If your dropping kids off at school, go ahead and run by the post office, grocery store, etc while you are out.
Driving habits will affect mileage, but to a lesser extent than you might think. I frequently stand on the throttle hard and still get 46 (avg this tank). Most of the aggressive acceleration is to show whichever nay-sayer that's in my passenger seat at the time that the Prius is not a dog and actually is more peppy than a LOT of Sedans out there.
Anyway, if you can combine the shorter trips into one you will see better mileage.
You don't get better than 25mpg for the first 5 minutes if the engine is cold. When you need to make a short trip, try to add other errands to it. If your dropping kids off at school, go ahead and run by the post office, grocery store, etc while you are out.
Driving habits will affect mileage, but to a lesser extent than you might think. I frequently stand on the throttle hard and still get 46 (avg this tank). Most of the aggressive acceleration is to show whichever nay-sayer that's in my passenger seat at the time that the Prius is not a dog and actually is more peppy than a LOT of Sedans out there.
Anyway, if you can combine the shorter trips into one you will see better mileage.
Re: shart trips are the #1 killer
In Florida, for example, a greyhound is considered a racing animal, and cannot be classified as a "pet." Incidentally, a recent news article said that some owners/rescuers are trying to change the designation.
Well, my dog is very fast. She corners so quickly and so tight that she gets grass stains on her shoulders. Many automobile drivers would envy her relative speed and acceleration.tryoty said:
In Florida, for example, a greyhound is considered a racing animal, and cannot be classified as a "pet." Incidentally, a recent news article said that some owners/rescuers are trying to change the designation.
http://www.priuschat.com/forums/kb.php?mode=article&k=23&sid=edba9802ad9b54112062cff05c77ecbeseaprius said:
A little something to read to both help you improve and to understand.
Re: shart trips are the #1 killer
My neighbors have 2, and they're really sweet (unless my dog is nearby, then they all have a snarlfest). I wonder what the news report was talking about, though, when it mentioned trying to change the law to get them registered as "pets." Oh well.DanMan32 said:
Some further reading:
* http://www.priusview.com/tips.asp
* Prius Fuel Economy: Explaining the EPA Ratings
Toyota explains what the EPA ratings actually mean, and lists ways to
improve your MPG
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toy ... sage/71431
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Pri ... ssage/2742
A brief description of the EPA test cycles is here:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/info.shtml#estimates
* Can I expect to get over 50MPG in the new Prius?
(see question #6): http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2005/prius/faq.html
* Prius Fuel Economy Factsheet:
http://www.toyota.com/images/vehicles/p ... conomy.pdf
More MPG tips are in the Prius User's Guide:
http://john1701a.com/prius/prius-userguide.htm
Gas Mileage Tips from the EPA:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.shtml
There are also more MPG tips in your Owner's Manual.
I also suggest reading the following article (with plenty of citations
for source data):
http://www.bluewaternetwork.org/reports ... ehood2.pdf
"FUEL ECONOMY FALSEHOODS: How government misrepresentation of fuel
economy hinders efforts to reduce global warming and US dependence on
foreign oil" by the Bluewater Network, 2002
(BTW: it's still winter in much of the US, plus winter fuels, and you haven't even broken in your Prius...)
* http://www.priusview.com/tips.asp
* Prius Fuel Economy: Explaining the EPA Ratings
Toyota explains what the EPA ratings actually mean, and lists ways to
improve your MPG
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toy ... sage/71431
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Pri ... ssage/2742
A brief description of the EPA test cycles is here:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/info.shtml#estimates
* Can I expect to get over 50MPG in the new Prius?
(see question #6): http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2005/prius/faq.html
* Prius Fuel Economy Factsheet:
http://www.toyota.com/images/vehicles/p ... conomy.pdf
More MPG tips are in the Prius User's Guide:
http://john1701a.com/prius/prius-userguide.htm
Gas Mileage Tips from the EPA:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.shtml
There are also more MPG tips in your Owner's Manual.
I also suggest reading the following article (with plenty of citations
for source data):
http://www.bluewaternetwork.org/reports ... ehood2.pdf
"FUEL ECONOMY FALSEHOODS: How government misrepresentation of fuel
economy hinders efforts to reduce global warming and US dependence on
foreign oil" by the Bluewater Network, 2002
(BTW: it's still winter in much of the US, plus winter fuels, and you haven't even broken in your Prius...)
SeaPrius: Might be another case of "NSD". Any oldtimers remember this from the old Yahoo Prius group?
"NSD" is short for "Natalie Style Driving". Several years ago, when the Prius was new to everyone, there was a nice woman named Natalie who only drove her Prius on short trips of a few miles each, with about at least an hour between trips.
Since early model US Prius don't have the "thermos bottle" feature which now keeps new Prius' radiator fluid warm, Natalie got really low mileage for a Prius (much lower than what SeaPrius reports.)
I suspect SeaPrius may be seeing the result of a similar driving style, combined with the current relatively cool weather in her part of the US.
It's likely you'll see your mileage improve somewhat as the weather warms up, but if (if) you typically drive like Natalie, averaging around 45 - 50 MPG in your shiny new Prius is probably about what you should expect.
And, as others have probably suggested, you might try keeping around 40 (or 42) psi in all 4 tires to see if that helps your mileage.
In any event, you're still getting about twice the mileage of most of the other vehicles on the road!
Enjoy your new Prius!
- Peter
CA "MO MPG"
2002 White Prius
"NSD" is short for "Natalie Style Driving". Several years ago, when the Prius was new to everyone, there was a nice woman named Natalie who only drove her Prius on short trips of a few miles each, with about at least an hour between trips.
Since early model US Prius don't have the "thermos bottle" feature which now keeps new Prius' radiator fluid warm, Natalie got really low mileage for a Prius (much lower than what SeaPrius reports.)
I suspect SeaPrius may be seeing the result of a similar driving style, combined with the current relatively cool weather in her part of the US.
It's likely you'll see your mileage improve somewhat as the weather warms up, but if (if) you typically drive like Natalie, averaging around 45 - 50 MPG in your shiny new Prius is probably about what you should expect.
And, as others have probably suggested, you might try keeping around 40 (or 42) psi in all 4 tires to see if that helps your mileage.
In any event, you're still getting about twice the mileage of most of the other vehicles on the road!
Enjoy your new Prius!
- Peter
CA "MO MPG"
2002 White Prius
Proper tire inflation makes a big difference
Due to chilly, rainy weather I had procrastinated on checking tire pressure and was averaging around 43 MPG. When I finally paid $0.75 for air at my local BP stationx) and added about 3 psi to each tire to get them up to recommended pressures, my MPG immediately rose to around 47.
But whatever happened to free air pumps at gas stations? They seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur around here!
Due to chilly, rainy weather I had procrastinated on checking tire pressure and was averaging around 43 MPG. When I finally paid $0.75 for air at my local BP station
x) and added about 3 psi to each tire to get them up to recommended pressures, my MPG immediately rose to around 47. But whatever happened to free air pumps at gas stations? They seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur around here!
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