Calculating your Car's Miles per Gallon

Miles per Gallon (MPG) or Gallon per Mile (GPM) is a method of calculating a vehicle's fuel consumption. By calculating your car's MPG, it is possible to calculate your automobile's fuel efficiency. By knowing your car's MPG, you can take measures to improve the GPM, so that your money and fuel can be saved. Before calculating a car's MPG, it is necessary to know some basic things or terms, involved in the calculation.

• Gallon: It is the quantity of liquid fuel used to run a vehicle. According to the US standards, 1 gallon = 4 quarts or 3.785 liters.
• Odometer: It is a device used to record the mileage traversed, by any vehicle.
• Mileage: It is the distance measured in miles.

How to Calculate your Car's Miles per Gallon?

• Step 1: Fill your car's fuel tank from a fuel station.
• Step 2: Note the mileage reading X, from the odometer while filling your car's fuel tank. X is the initial reading of the odometer.
• Step 3: Drive your car for some miles, and automatically some gallons from the tank will get depleted.
• Step 4: Get to the fuel station and note the number of gallons (N) it takes to fill the tank. It is understood that, N gallons was consumed after the initial tank filling.
• Step 5: Now, note the mileage reading Y, from the odometer. Y is the final reading of the Odometer.
• Step 6: Here we come to the calculation part i.e., MPG = (Y - X) / N

Example:
Number of gallons = 10
Initial reading of the odometer = 2460 miles
Final reading of the odometer = 2700 miles
Miles Per Gallon (MPG) = (2700 - 2460) / 10
= 24 mi/gal

Buzzle MPG Calculator
Number of Gallons	gal
Initial Reading of Odometer	mi
Final Reading of Odometer	mi
Miles per Gallon mi/gal

This calculation can also be done by resetting the odometer and then calculating the MPG. In this case, the final reading of the odometer will be some Y and the initial reading of the odometer (X) will be zero and N will be the number of gallons consumed. Thus, MPG = Y/N. If you have the readings in kilometers, then you can convert the kilometers into miles. (1 mile = 1.6 kms (approximately)).

Tips to Improve your Car's Gallon per Mile

Just by changing some of your driving habits, you can reduce your car's fuel consumption. Some of the tips are listed below to help you to improve your car's GPM.

• Don't accelerate your car while traveling uphill, because too much acceleration leads to dramatic increase in fuel consumption.
• Maintain a constant speed while coasting downhill.
• Take proper care of your car's engine and tune it precisely.
• Often keep a check over your car's tires, whether it is inflated well or not, to avoid excess pressure.
• Shift to lower gear while climbing uphill.
• Change your car's speed gradually.
• Don't load your car with unnecessary things.
• Keep a watch over your speed limit while driving.
• Most importantly, stop idling and turn off your car's engine, when your vehicle is stationary.

Improving your car's GPM and saving your car's fuel consumption will not only cut your fuel bill, but will also reduce air pollution. There are many fuel efficient cars that are available in the market. Hope this article helped you to find an easy way to calculate your car's MPG. Follow the aforementioned tips and you will surely be happy to see a considerable reduction in your fuel expenditure and also you will be happy for your contribution in being eco-friendly.