Hybrid - 43/48 MPG

[csziggy]

6. I don't about the Honda, but our 2006 Prius seems accurate

We bought it in September and took it from Tallahassee, FL, to Louisville, KY, in October. Started with a full tank (10 gallons according to the book, but we've never gotten more than 9 in it), filled up three times on the trip (about 7 gallons or less per fill up), and we had half a tank when we got home.

I estimate we used ~25 gallons of gas for a trip that was over 1350 miles (667 miles form Tallahassee to Louisville + several side trips) which works out to over 50 miles per gallon. The car's computer said we averaged 43.6 miles per gallon.

Going through the mountains increased our miles per gallon - we didn't push the speed uphill and coasting down every incline. We drove to the top of Oak Mountain south of Birmingham - ran the battery all the way down on the way up but recharged it fully less than halfway down and coasted the rest of the way. I wanted more battery capacity so we could have accumulated more energy with that downhill coasting!

I originally estimated we'd save $1000 a year on gas with the Prius if we averaged 35-40 mpg. I'm thinking we'll save even more since we're doing better than that.