First Fill-up only took 6 gallons...

[stevendwatson]

Hello!

I've had my Prius for almost two weeks and the other day was my first visit to the gas station. I was nearing a station when the gas gauge dropped from two bars to one bar (or whatever term people are using for these). Not knowing how much gas was left or if the Prius gives any type of low gas warning (I read the manual but can't remember if it told this), I figured I'd stop and fill up.

It only took a little over 6 gallons to fill the tank. What's up with that? I know I'm new to this but that doesn't seem quite right .

[MagneticGrayIndy]

The Prius only has a small tank.. just over ten gallons I believe.. but you could have waited. When the last bar starts blinking at you, then get gas. Though it still probably has about 2 gallons in it at that point... another 100 miles!

[ZC1]

My first fill-up took only 7.8 gallons and that was driving for only 3 weeks.
I'm sure the fuel bladder will expand with age.

ZC1

[KayakerNC]

My 1st fill-up today, 3 pips, 405 miles, 7.7 gal = 52.6mpg. The fuel indicator is showing full again.
Taking that with a grain of salt, the "Average" is showing 47.5 on my MFD. Doesn't matter....it's all good!!!!

[Brodie]

The fuel tank is very variable in how much gas it'll take. I just put 9.1 in mine on 1 bar left, and that's the most I've gotten by about a gallon. Not sure why, I think I managed to get the vapor thingie on better this time. Just get gas when you've got one bar left, rather than going on how many miles you've driven, and you'll be fine.

[Danny Hamilton]

Originally Posted by stevendwatson

. . . .I was nearing a station when the gas gauge dropped from two bars to one bar (or whatever term people are using for these). . . .

Here at PriusChat they are typically referred to as "pips".

Originally Posted by stevendwatson

. . . .Not knowing how much gas was left or if the Prius gives any type of low gas warning. . . .

When the tank gets low you never really know "how much gas is left". Only that the Prius is indicating that filling up would be a good idea.

As for a low gas warning, there are three, but all three are unobtrusive enough to easily miss.

• The single remaining pip will begin blinking
• A message will display briefly on the Multi-Function Display (MFD) indicating "Add Fuel"
• The Prius will quietly beep briefly

Originally Posted by stevendwatson

. . . .It only took a little over 6 gallons to fill the tank. What's up with that? I know I'm new to this but that doesn't seem quite right.

While the manual indiactes an 11.9 gallon tank, this is an indication of the size of the metal tank. It is not an indication of the amount of fuel the tank will actually hold. Inside the metal tank is a flexible bladder that holds the fuel. Depending on age and temperature the actual amount of fuel this bladder will hold is rather variable. Additionally the pumps at some stations are a bit more sensitive than others and as such will occasionally click off when there is still a bit of capacity left in the tank.

If I had to guess, I'd say you probably had between 3 and 4 gallons left in the tank when you filled up. Another gallon or so and you would probably have gotten the low fuel warning. When you added the 6 gallons to fill the tank you probably ended up with about 10 gallons or so in the tank.

It's about what I would have expected. If you had mentioned how many miles you had traveled on the tank and what the MFD reported as your MPG, you could probably get a better estimate.

[stevendwatson]

Originally Posted by Danny Hamilton

Here at PriusChat they are typically referred to as "pips".

When the tank gets low you never really know "how much gas is left". Only that the Prius is indicating that filling up would be a good idea.

As for a low gas warning, there are three, but all three are unobtrusive enough to easily miss.

• The single remaining pip will begin blinking
• A message will display briefly on the Multi-Function Display (MFD) indicating "Add Fuel"
• The Prius will quietly beep briefly

While the manual indiactes an 11.9 gallon tank, this is an indication of the size of the metal tank. It is not an indication of the amount of fuel the tank will actually hold. Inside the metal tank is a flexible bladder that holds the fuel. Depending on age and temperature the actual amount of fuel this bladder will hold is rather variable. Additionally the pumps at some stations are a bit more sensitive than others and as such will occasionally click off when there is still a bit of capacity left in the tank.

If I had to guess, I'd say you probably had between 3 and 4 gallons left in the tank when you filled up. Another gallon or so and you would probably have gotten the low fuel warning. When you added the 6 gallons to fill the tank you probably ended up with about 10 gallons or so in the tank.

It's about what I would have expected. If you had mentioned how many miles you had traveled on the tank and what the MFD reported as your MPG, you could probably get a better estimate.

Thanks, everyone, for all the info. I knew there was a bladder in the tank, but it still seemed odd. I had driven around 420 miles and was getting 48.9 mpg. That's more than three times better than the Ram Quadcab I was driving two weeks ago!

I am very happy with my Prius!

[richard schumacher]

Try a different nozzle next time. They do vary.

[rsforkner]

I have a couple of stations here that always have the best price of the area. Prices can vary as much as $0.20 per gallon within 20 miles.

When I see 2 PIPs I start thinking about stopping the next time I am near one of my "favorite" stations. If it gets to one PIP I start looking for the next available station with a fair price, wherever I am. If it starts flashing I stop at the next station, no matter the price. (Only saw a flashing PIP once while getting back from a long trip on the Turnpike.)

Mechanical issues aside, running out of gas is a pain.

Bob