PRIUS GAS MILEAGE SUCKS

Sorry, but 3 miles is too short for driving. Walk or bike. Or, wait a couple of years and get an electric car.

Of course, we could swap out the Prius for any other car and see the similar impact on mpg on a non-hybrid....

 

actually thats better .

 

I don't know where my mileage will ultimately settle out, but in a typical two week period I drove about 270 miles and my actual MPG was 47.89, the computer readout said 50.7, so it is a bit off, it seems to run 5% high. My driving included short runs to stores, longer runs (under 10 miles) and a longest trip of 30 miles. About 50/50 freeway and surface streets. A/C is blasting 100% of the time as it has been in the 110's here and I favor creature comforts over an additional 1 MPG.

Also, I don't use any of the preset modes (EV, ECO or power). I turn them off and drive. I don't perform any pet tricks with my driving like having traffic clog up behind me -- I do drive the speed limits or slightly higher on freeway.

Messing with hypermiling techniques sounds like a waste of time to me (although I can see the attraction for a hobbyist sort of person), so I don't even try to do it.

 

I just filled up for the second time. Am getting 61 mpg on second tank, 52 on first. If you're getting only 38, you're driving the car like a "normal" car...that's why 38. Slow down, don't accelerate hard and double that mileage on flat roads!

 

p.s. that's all city driving, not flat, stop and go.

 

Your heading tells us more than your post.
This is Prius group that enjoys their cars, and are willing to exchange useful information about them. We are not fond of words such as "sucks."

Now, I suspect there is nothing wrong with your Prius that a change in driving habits won't cure. I have not read three pages of post, but I bet some good advise has been given.

I have 2330 miles on my G3, IV .... and the efficiency is either gradually improving, or I am learning how to drive the car. There is a bit of learning required. My "lifetime average is 53.5 mpg. I have owned the car a month , and discovered that I can drive quite normally, but it does require a steady foot; I accelerate normally, and glide to a stop wherever possible. I find the HSI (Hybrid System) screen the most useful. Try to keep the ESC "light" lit. It is OK to extenguish it when accelerating, but try to keep it lit when cruising. I run the A/C , and drive over mountain passes. What power is used going up-hill, is regenerated going down. I keep up with the traffic, but do not drive over 70 mph. At 70, I get about 52 mpg . BTW, the EPA figure is 51 mpg, not 60. If you can drive in the 35-45 mph range for any distance, you can achieve 60 mpg, which when averaged in with your other driving still yields a good average. OH, and be sure to re-set the mpg calculator each time to fill the tank.

Here is a ling that you will want to read.
Better Gas Mileage in a Toyota Prius | Hybrid Cars

Good luck. Let us know how you are doing.

 

Uhhh...why did you folks decide to revive a VERY old thread about a different car? You have 2010's, you've posted in the forum for the previous generation.

 

Could be because they're all noobs...join dates in July/Aug 2009 for all posters for the revived thread up until yours.

Signed...mostly a noob on these forums, but I've done a lot of studying!

 

I have a 2007 Prius with 21,000 miles. I drive very conservatively. I anticipate stops and coast and gently break to a stop. I try to keep my highway speed to 65-70 mph. I accelerate gently and don't try to set any land sppe records. I average between 39 and 42 mpg, depending on the mix of local and highway driving. My brother-in-law has a 2009 Prius and drives like he's in a demolition derby. On a trip from O'Hare airport to my sister-in-law, about 40 minutes, he weaved in and out of traffic changing speeds from 50 to 75 mph. There was some traffic on local roads with several minutes a a complete stop. He averaged 48.4 mpg driving like a maniac.

What gives?

 

I never get less then 40 MPG and I was driving 90

 

Heck, with my 2009 before I knew anything about pulse & glide, I averaged over 50 mpg

 

One of you is accelerating too slowly and the other is maintaining momentum. Can you guess which one?

 

Prius gas mileage is terrible?

Gassed up this morning -

423.3 miles , 8.24 gal of 87 octane

51.37 MPG average - very mixed driving - short trips, city, urban highway

My car likes September weather.

 

And/or, one of them never checks the tire pressures and the other always keeps them above 40 PSI.

 

I practice all of the above including increasing tire pressure to 40-42 psi and still only average 38-42 mpg. There seems to be a wide discrepancy between reports of mileage from members of this forum yet I can find no consistent thread that would explain differences of 10 mpg. I live in Florida where the roads are essentially flat. The AC runs constantly 10 months of the year. I drive a 2007 Prius.

I would like a reasoned rationalle for thee differences. Any ideas?

 

Sticky parking brake? Do you always use the parking brake? it's safer and helps keep the brake from sticking.

Maladjusted drum brakes? For the latter, do a few hard stops both forward and reverse and see whether the situation changes.

Lots of short trips? Trips less than about 10 minutes or three miles are MPG killers.

Do you ever use "B"? If so, don't. There's no place in Florida that requires it.

Do you ride the brake? If so try avoiding it.

It's usually humid in Florida, right? :_> Do you always use outside air? If so, using "recirculate" when the outdoor humidity is high will reduce the A/C load (but that probably won't have a large effect on MPGs).

 

Using A/C absolutely lowers my MPG. (don't have data)

Very short trips, repeatedly, where engine never gets to warm up can lower my average about, roughly 6 MPG's.

I have never seen an MFD or pump average of 42 on mine. I would be rather PO'd if I did.

 

I'm really having a hard time complaining about the mileage. I drove 72 mph for 120 miles with 5 adults in the car plus baggage and got 44 mpg.

 

Yep, absolutely on both of these.

Nrwyman, please tell us how long your drives are and how fast you're going. You also might be braking way too hard causing a switchover to the friction brakes instead of taking advantage of regen. Now that I have a ScanGauge, I've observed even a very light touch on the brakes at higher speds (say 45+ mph) can result in regen of 90 amps, which is pretty darn high (and in theory could involve a lot of extra losses due to heat). Without Scangauge, I used to think I was pretty light on the brakes. I was clearly wrong.

Also, doing things like trying to stay accelerating solely on electric does not yield the best efficiency. When you approach red lights, do keep accelerating or do you coast?

Now that I've relocated to WA, I'm doing lots of short drives which is killing my mileage. My lifetime prior to coming here was 46 mpg.

 

EPA tests are done indoors so wind is not factored into their guestimates. Wind resistance goes up with the square of a vehicles speed so mileage can be expected to noticeably decline on the highway as speeds are increased by as little as 5mph.

Mileage tests I have come across recommend accelerating quickly to cruising speed as slow gradual acceleration consumes more gas as the engine is working at less efficient points in its power curve.

I get the best mileage with my 2007 Prius at speeds between 50-60mph regardless of the terrain and get my lowest MPG in the winter when the battery pack is less effective.