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What does MPG mean?

MPG means miles per gallon: how many miles a vehicle can travel on one gallon of fuel. The fuel economy label shows separate City, Highway and Combined MPG values, so a higher number means the vehicle goes farther on the same fuel.

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Why you are seeing it
It is on the fuel economy label of a new vehicle, in car listings and in reviews, usually as three numbers: City, Highway and Combined.
Why it matters
It tells you how far a vehicle goes on a gallon of fuel, so it is the quickest way to compare how much two vehicles will cost to fuel.
What should I do?
  • Compare the Combined numbers when you compare two vehicles.
  • Work out the fuel cost for your own miles with the Fuel Cost Calculator, or the saving between two vehicles with the Fuel Savings Calculator.
  • Work out your real MPG from a fill-up, because it depends on how you drive.
A common misunderstanding
The MPG on a label is a rating for comparing vehicles. What you get depends on how and where you drive.

The numbers on the label

Miles per gallon has been shown on vehicle fuel economy labels since 1977. For a gasoline vehicle the label gives a City value, a Highway value and a Combined value. The Combined number is given the most prominence so that one vehicle can be compared with another easily.

The fueleconomy.gov label page says the Combined value is a weighted average of the City and Highway values, counting City 55% and Highway 45%.

A simple example

Two vehicles over 12,000 miles

A vehicle that gets 25 MPG uses 12,000 / 25 = 480 gallons in a year.

A vehicle that gets 35 MPG uses 12,000 / 35, about 343 gallons.

At $3.50 a gallon that is about $1,680 against $1,200, so the higher MPG saves about $480 a year. The price is an example, not a current price.

Using MPG to think about cost

  • Gallons used = miles divided by MPG. A vehicle rated at 30 MPG uses 10 gallons to go 300 miles.
  • Cost = gallons times the price per gallon, so the same trip costs less in a vehicle with a higher MPG.
  • Your own MPG depends on how and where you drive: a fill-up works it out for you (miles driven divided by gallons added).

Try these tools

  • Fuel Cost CalculatorWork out the fuel cost and cost per mile of a trip, or your MPG from a fill-up. Free, nothing sent.
  • Fuel Savings CalculatorCompare two MPG values and see the yearly, monthly and 5-year fuel savings. Also answers how much better gas mileage is worth.
  • MPG to L/100 km ConverterConvert fuel economy between US MPG, imperial MPG, litres per 100 km and kilometres per litre.

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