Gas Mileage Calculator

How to Calculate Gas Mileage

Calculating gas mileage, also known as fuel economy, is an essential skill for vehicle owners. It helps you understand your vehicle's efficiency and can guide decisions about maintenance and future vehicle purchases.

What is the Formula?

The basic formula for calculating gas mileage is:

\[ MPG = \frac{Distance Traveled}{Fuel Consumed} \]

Where:

• MPG is Miles Per Gallon
• Distance Traveled is in miles
• Fuel Consumed is in gallons

If you want to calculate the cost per mile, the formula is:

\[ Cost Per Mile = \frac{Fuel Cost per Gallon}{MPG} \]

What are the calculation steps?

1. Record your odometer reading or trip distance at the start of your journey.
2. Fill up your gas tank completely.
3. Drive normally until your tank is nearly empty.
4. Fill up your tank again, noting how many gallons it takes to fill.
5. Record your new odometer reading or trip distance.
6. Calculate the distance traveled by subtracting the initial reading from the final reading.
7. Divide the distance traveled by the amount of fuel used to get your MPG.

Example Calculation

Let's say you drove 300 miles and used 10 gallons of gas. The calculation would be:

\[ MPG = \frac{300 miles}{10 gallons} = 30 MPG \]

If gas costs $3 per gallon, your cost per mile would be:

\[ Cost Per Mile = \frac{$3 per gallon}{30 MPG} = $0.10 per mile \]

Diagram of Gas Mileage Calculation

The following diagram illustrates the concept of gas mileage calculation:

This diagram shows the relationship between distance traveled and fuel consumed. The height of each bar represents the quantity, and the ratio between them gives us the miles per gallon (MPG).