Hey guys! I've driven my new prius about 70 miles , with only one pip (or maybe 1.5) pips down - but my average is 44.4 mpg. I almost assume one pip is about 1 gallon, so why is it giving me a lower mpg number? How accurate is this?
The gauge is non-linear. So, each pip won't equal to a specific size. Quantity gets progressly smaller. You'll get used to what each represents as you drive more, based on your only particular efficiency results. The only real constant is the blink is programmed to trigger right around the 9-gallon mark. .
It is no more accurate than the fuel gauge in any other car, which is to say it's just a rough idea of what you have in the tank. It would also depend on how full it was to start with. When you fill it you can probably squeeze in an extra gallon (or at least a half gallon) if you top it clear up, not recommended. When you get down to the other end you will see the last pip start blinking when there are approximately 2 gallons left in the tank.
Hi All, Finished my first tank about a week and a half ago. The display said 60.7 mpg, the pumped mileage was 58.8 mpg. It only took 8.5 gallons (vy similar to my 2006) at 2 pips left. Disappointing. But, on the bright side, I guess I can safely drive down to 1 pip now, and maybe pump 9.5 gallons. And, I am up over 65 mpg on this second tank....
In addition to the advice from the others I'll ad that you are probably going to be disappointed with the MPG of your first tank unless you filled it yourself. "Free" dealer fill ups are usually not full. If you fill it yourself and keep adding after the pump first shuts off automatically you can often go well over 100 miles before the first pip goes out.
the second tank I had two pips and put in 7 gallons before it shut off, the next tank I had two pips and put in 8.5 gallons. the only thing I can assume is that I hit the first tank just as it went into the second pip and the second tank just before it went out of the second pip
... Not nearly accurate enough to be making any extrapolation based on this, especially with just 70 miles on the odo. My top two pips are almost garbage. The driving distance on the first one depends strongly on how the tank was filled, producing from 40 to 90 miles. The second one typically runs short, often just 30 more miles. But surprisingly often I see both bars turn back on, claiming 10 full bars of fuel, before quickly dropping to 7. Only then does it start a reasonably linear march down to the last bar. But it is capable of climbing a pip from any level. You fuel gauge will be different, and you will likely need to watch closely over several tanks to discover its patterns. My pre-hybrids, with their analog needles, were no less quirky.
