Fuel Economy (mpg)

Fuel economy tells you how far a vehicle can go for each gallon of fuel it uses. It works by dividing the total distance traveled by the amount of fuel consumed, which gives a rate in miles per gallon (mpg). A higher mpg means the vehicle is using fuel more efficiently, because it travels more miles for the same amount of gas.

Use this formula when comparing vehicles, estimating gas costs, or checking how efficiently a car, truck, or other fuel-powered machine is operating. It is also useful for logging trips and figuring out whether your mileage is better or worse than expected.

• dividing gallons by miles instead of miles by gallons
• using the wrong fuel amount, such as the tank capacity instead of fuel actually used
• forgetting the units, which should be miles per gallon (mpg)