A few months ago, I did a lot of maintenance work on my Gen II. Here is what I did. Maintenance - What am I missing? | PriusChat The MPG went down initially, but by the third tank, I was averaging over 50 mpg. Then I went through a period of very little driving (once a week). Now, I'm driving daily but my fuel efficiency has dropped significantly (~40 mpg) for several tanks. I checked the tire pressure and all fluids. The only thing I can think of that could be causing this is that I'm driving much shorter distances, sometimes even less than a mile (I work from home now). Has anyone experienced anything similar? Could my short distance driving (which I know decrease your average, due to fuel being used at each start for warm up) be causing this large of a drop? Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.
The short trips are almost certainly the cause. I would consider 40mpg to be alright considering the driving conditions.
Thanks everyone. That was my hunch, glad it isn't hybrid battery related. Need to confirm with a long drive, just need a place to go.
