Initial MPG reading off the dealership lot

It's almost certainly due just to being driven around the lot. The engine runs continuously in the first minute or so after startup regardless of power demand; its total focus is trying to warm itself and the catalytic converter. With multiple parking-lot length drives with a cold engine and no concern by the operator for fuel economy, I could envision single-digit MPG readings.

 

Mine was similar when I drove it off the lot. When I took delivery it had 2 miles on it, and the MPG was in the teens. By the time I got it home 40 miles away, it was up to an approx. 30 MPG average. Now that the car has about 300 miles on it, I'm presently at 48.2 MPG on the tank, and it's still climbing. My guess is it will be somewhere in the low 50's by the time I've finished off the tank. And I expect my next tank will be even better.

Basically, those first few inefficient miles at the dealer will drag down the average MPG on your first tank. As time goes on, and those initial miles becomes a smaller part of the statistical average, AND you learn how to drive the car for maximum fuel economy, you'll undoubtedly see a huge improvement.

 

Hi Jsuh84,

Considering that the high temperature today in Chicagoland was south of 20 degrees (it was actually 0 degrees where and when I started up my Prius this morning), and that you were probably pushing snow if you were driving in the past few days (besides running the window defrosters almost all the time), the mileage you are seeing for a car that is not broken in, and probably with the tires set to the door frame plaque values, makes sense.

When the morning temps get up to 32 later this week, reset your MFD mileage average button, and got out and give it a whirl. Set the front tires to 42 psi and the rears to 40 psi.

 

Welcome. The next step for higher mpg is to go to the hardware store to buy some pipe insulation to block your grill. There are a couple authoritative threads describing the process in great detail.

Please don't fixate on the fuel economy, the range on a tank, or the the difference between your calculations & the MFD's. Drive the car. By the time you see 1 pip or the flashing pip buy gas. Pump slow and don't top off. Pumping in an extra tenth of a gallon can cut 1mpg off the tank's average.

To answer your question: Someone drove the car off the truck. Someone drove the car into the garage for prep; attaching the plastic parts, removing the protective film, adding fluids. Someone drove it to get washed. Someone may have driven it around the block to check the alignment. They may have had to jockey the car around the lot.

 

When I went to pick up my car at the dealer he had it running and toasty warm for me to get into. Then we sat in the lot while I had my "lesson" with the heater still blasting. That will kill the mpg for sure in cold weather. (It had snowed that day too.)

 

The dealer warned me not to expect more than 45-46MPG when my 2008 Version 4 was delivered. It has been a solid 50+ since then and I am +6K miles!!

 

I've owned my 2008 Black Prius for 2 weeks. I have about 310 miles on the dealer supplied tank. The MFD shows an average of 42 - 43 mpg. We drove this car for a test drive of about 15 miles. The car only had about 5 miles on it before the test drive. The gas gauge is down to the last two squares. I was expecting the gauge to show more with only 300 miles and a posted average of 42 mpg. Thats 7.3 gallons used out of 11.9. I guess when it gets to the last square I've got 3 gallons left so maybe I can get to 400 miles.

My typical commute is about 13 miles one way of city street commuting in Dallas, Texas. There are plenty of lights and the return trip has heavier traffic. The posted speed limit is 45mpg. The temperatures have been mild from the low 40s to the upper 60s. The car is garaged every night. The first few days of ownership started with the average consumption of about 36mpg and with my driving to work I've built up the average to the about 43mpg. My wife drove it to work three days but her job is only 5 miles away and the mileage dropped a couple of mpg. In this last week I've gotten it up 7mpg.

I haven't figured out how to get the glide that everyone has mentioned. Most of the time the ICE is driving the wheels or combination. One thing I notice is the battery charge level never reaches full. It has gotten to 2 bars from the top a couple of times.

When starting from a complete stop I don't floor it but push down smoothly but slowly. When I get up to the required speed of around 40 mph - 45 mph I let off the accelerator slightly and try to cruise. If there is a bit of a hill I try to accelerate a little before the climb and then coast on the other side.

My tire pressures are about 35psi. I'll try upping them to 40/38.

My Honda Element only gets 20-21 mpg on this same commute so I guess my mileage is still good but like others I've gotten infatuated with achieving high mileage.

 

No No No. The gas tank has a bladder which expands when filling and contracts as the tank empties to minimize gas vapors. The amount it expands is quite variable depending on the age of the car (stiffer when new)and the outside air temp (stiffer in winter). So you did not start with 11.9 gallons. Maybe 10, or maybe 9 in winter. The point is to go by the gauge, not what you think is in there. When you get to 1 PIP get gas and if it starts flashing get gas NOW.

I usually fill at 2 PIPS and usually it takes around 7.6 gallons to fill.

 

I found a document here on Prius Chat that describes the Fuel an EVAP system. It states if the outside temperature is 14F (-10C) the size of th tanks is reduced by 5 liters (1.3 US gal). The day the dealer filled up was in the 60F range. I will wait until I get the low fuel warning, I want to see what it looks like.

I found a quote in the same document that mentions overfilling. This causes excess fuel in to the EVAP system which may cause EVAP DTC (whatever than means) and may even require the replacement of some EVAP system components.

Kelvin