With gasoline prices on the rise, it has become important for people to be able to identify and monitor their car’s fuel efficiency. Knowing how to calculate your gas mileage is an essential way for you to track how much money you are spending on fuel – and monitor any improvements that you may be making to your car’s fuel consumption. It’s quite simple to DIY.

1.Take your car to the gas station and fill up your tank. Write down the exact mileage found on your odometer reading.

2.Drive around like you normally would until your car needs refueling.

3.Fill your tank up again – and this time record how many gallons it takes (you can find that number on the gas pump).

4.Check your odometer again and write down the new number.

5.Subtract your first odometer reading from your second one. This will tell you how many miles you’ve driven.

6.Divide this number by how many gallons it took to refill your car. The resulting number is your car’s current miles per gallon.

Tips:

Use the same grade of fuel at each fill-up. This will insure the most accurate reading.

It is better to do your gas mileage calculations during a period of “Normal” driving – how you usually drive. Since cars get better mileage on highways and freeways, calculating your gas mileage while on a long road trip might not give you a very accurate reading.