Just got a new 2012 C and getting 35/45 mpg

congrats!

florida: keep the a/c high for battery health, but low for mpg's. not much you can do.

what is the cars history?

what is your average driving like?

what are the mpg's as measured at the pump?

 

Congrats on your Prius purchase!

Are you calculating the mpg of 37 by the 8.5gal capacity and the 310~320 cruising range on the display?

If so, it is not an accurate way.

Please make sure to calculate by resetting a trip on odometer, or writing down odo miles at a fillup.
Then during next fill up divide the total gallons into the total miles since last
i.e. 320mi/7.2gal=44.4mpg (just as an example)

Sorry, not sure if you already are calculating it that way or just judging off the "cruising range"
post was not fully clear.

I can drive many miles past 0 on the cruising range, which would skew those numbers, and makes it irrelevant

 

Check the battery cooling fan.

As a very general rule, the more the hybrid battery can participate, the better the MPG. The computer will automatically limit the battery's participation for various reasons including, but not limited to: temperature, recent actual usage, state of charge, and stored trouble codes.

Many owners forget to clean the battery cooling fan and the air tubes connected to it, so it is worth checking on a newly acquired secondhand Prius, and make a habit of cleaning it annually. More often if you transport furry pets.

A mismatch between the odometer reading and the interior condition is a strong sign of odometer fraud. Hate to mention it, but I think it has to be considered.

 

by driving, i mean how long is your commute, and side trips. highway vs city, average speeds and etc.

this all can have a lot to do with mpgs. prius don't get 50 mpg under all conditions.

 

"Cruising range" is just a wild estimate and is not a useful number for determining gas mileage.

Can't have a meaningful discussion about gas mileage without knowing HOW you arrive at your numbers.
Assuming that you are using what the onboard computer tells you, are you resetting it at each fillup ?
If not, you should as long term numbers can be deceiving.

Then.....a LOT depends on your usage and driving habits.
IF.....your normal driving routes are less than ideal, that is a LOT of stop and go or a LOT of high speeds.....your mileage will suffer.

I can occasionally get my C to tell me that my mileage is a bit above 50 IF I happen to be able to "cruise" around 50 MPH for a fairly long time. But most of the time it is in the mid to upper 40's.
My '13 was like that too.

 

37 mpg sounds just about right for 20-25 minutes of stop and go with AC on, especially if it involves traffic jams. That sounds just like the the conditions Consumer Reports uses to simulate their "city" driving mpg test, and they rated the 2012 C at 38 mpg City. Other than what you have been doing like making sure all maintenance is up to date, cleaning battery fan cover/filter, and adjusting your driving techniques, there isn't too much you can do to improve that situation.

If you have the opportunity, check your MPG on a trip of 20-25 miles or so on back roads where there's hardly any stop and go and not too many hills, where you can stay in the range of 30-50 mph for most of the trip. Watch the ECO Score gauge on the dash and try to keep it in the lower half as much as possible by using a light foot on the gas. If you don't measure better mileage there, say 45-65 mpg, then something is wrong somewhere. A 2012 C with only 46,000 miles is a rare find. so it you don't get better MPG in the above situation Leadfoot's suspision about the low miles and the worn interior is worth considering. If not odometer fraud, at the very least, a considrable lack or care for the vehicle overall.