Good morning everyone, I have 2023 Prius XLE AWD. 2 months ago, it was pretty cold on the East Coast and I was on the road for 140miles. The gas indicator dropped faster than expected, and the estimated miles remaining dropped much faster than expected. Usually the car goes more miles than expected but that night it went at least 30% less. By the time I reached the gas station, it was only showing “2” miles estimated remaining in “red”. I thought probably the tank was almost empty, I filled the tank and I was surprised that only 8.1 gallons went in. What do you think happened? Is it possible because of the extreme cold that tank indicator was giving false readings? Or by default Prius keeps 2 gallons of gas in a reserve? Because the specifications said that the gas tank in this car is 10.5 gallon capacity. But even when near empty, hardly more than 7.9 gallons fill it up on most days. I am just curious, thank you
I don't know how the fuel gauge is rigged, but it's a given that you will burn more fuel in colder temperatures. Many years ago, I plotted my fuel economy at each tank fill, and there was a bell curve over the warmest months, and the curve dipped off in the colder months. I think it goes without saying that lubricants get stiffer, and require more energy, and the engine probably makes compensations to run the engine richer in the colder air.
