What Does MPG Stand for?

If you’re new to car ownership, you have a lot of terms to be familiar with. One question newer drivers have is, “What does MPG stand for?” MPG stands for miles per gallon, and refers to how far your car can go with one gallon of gas. Learn more about this integral fuel economy measurement with the team at Kempthorn Motors below!

What is MPG in Cars?

As previously mentioned, MPG stands for miles per gallon. But what does this mean? This measurement refers to the distance that a vehicle can travel on a single gallon of fuel. If you’re shopping for a vehicle in , you should consider MPG as it represents how efficient the car is. If a car has a high MPG rating, it means it will go far without burning through fuel quickly. 

But how is the rating determined? The EPA, or Environmental Protection Agency, is a government entity that tests and certifies MPG ratings. It can be difficult to accurately measure MPG since vehicles perform differently under different conditions. That’s why the EPA tests vehicles on various driving courses, then averages the scores to answer the following questions:

• What is MPG City?: This is the average distance per gallon a vehicle can travel in an urban setting. City driving generally uses lots of fuel due to traffic, frequent stop lights, and other factors. 
• What is MPG Highway?: This is the fuel economy rating for a vehicle when traveling on an open highway. This type of travel is often the most efficient since you won’t need to brake very often. 
• What is MPG Combined?: This figure comes from the combined average of highway and city MPG ratings. 

How Can I Calculate My Own Vehicle’s MPG?

While you can often check your digital cluster or research your vehicle online, you may prefer to do things the old-fashioned way and calculate your own MPG. Not to mention, this will give you a more accurate rating since your driving habits and conditions in will be taken into account. Follow these easy steps to calculate your MPG:

1. Reset your trip odometer when you fill up your gas tank.
2. Drive as you normally would until your gas tank is nearly empty. 
3. Check how many miles you’ve driven since your last fill-up. Divide that number by the total number of gallons used to fill your tank.

Keep in mind that your ratings may be a bit different if you’ve done most of your test driving in the city or on the highway. The best way to ensure you get an accurate reading is to drive under your normal conditions when calculating your own MPG! After you have your rating, you can use it as a baseline when improving the efficiency on your drives. 

Learn More about Your Car with Kempthorn Motors

Whether you’re interested in car-shopping tips or more car maintenance information, we’re your auto source in Canton. If you have any questions, just get in touch and we’d love to answer them!