Real mpg

tgon

The cost of my daily commute is getting far to expensive and public transport is not an alternative (being in a rural location) so I'm looking to replace my petrol guzzler with a more economical car. In doing the sums I realise that I've no reliable info on real mpg (not manufacturers claimed mpg in test labs). There are some sites about but seem outdated or poorly subscribed. Anyone know of a good source of real mpg info to help me? Ta

vikingaero

There are no real life mpg tables because every persons car journey varies with their driving, condition of the car and congestion.

Best thing to do is to work out a base mpg for your own car to see if it's worth changing cars. You do this by brimming the tank, driving it, record the mileage at next fill up and litres of fuel to brim the tank again. It's not worth changing from a normal car to a smaller car if it's going to cost you thousands to change.

I drive a lot of company cars and hire cars. For a rough guide to my mpg I use this broad guide for my own circumstances in the congested South East:

- Petrol car - deduct 5-10 mpg from the manufacturers combined figure
- Diesel car - deduct 10-15 mpg from the manufacturers combined figure
- Hybrid car - deduct 15-25 mpg from the manufacturers combined figure

You might see some mpg figures if they run a car in some car magazines. These are fairly realistic for a driver with a lead foot.

Hammyman

vikingaero wrote: »

There are no real life mpg tables because every persons car journey varies with their driving, condition of the car and congestion.

Seconded. When I drive my car, I get an average mid 50's MPG, sometimes as high as 70MPG. When the wife drives my car and I get back in, the trip computer inevitably reads in the 40's.:mad:

optimus_primera

Get yourself a V8 landie, give some boot on a motorway, then you can work to gallons per mile ........ i know been there done that ..........

Got to echo above, no such thing as real life mpg without doing it yourself.

docmatt

Tgon what kind of budget do you want to spend on a new MPG busting motor and what kind of car do you want?

cyclonebri1

vikingaero wrote: »

There are no real life mpg tables because every persons car journey varies with their driving, condition of the car and congestion.

Best thing to do is to work out a base mpg for your own car to see if it's worth changing cars. You do this by brimming the tank, driving it, record the mileage at next fill up and litres of fuel to brim the tank again. It's not worth changing from a normal car to a smaller car if it's going to cost you thousands to change.

I drive a lot of company cars and hire cars. For a rough guide to my mpg I use this broad guide for my own circumstances in the congested South East:

- Petrol car - deduct 5-10 mpg from the manufacturers combined figure
- Diesel car - deduct 10-15 mpg from the manufacturers combined figure
- Hybrid car - deduct 15-25 mpg from the manufacturers combined figure

You might see some mpg figures if they run a car in some car magazines. These are fairly realistic for a driver with a lead foot.

So, deduct 20% from all figures???

TVR2

One thing to remember is if you commute a lot, an asthmatic eco-box may drive you mad before long, leading inevitably to a more aggressive driving style and any efficiency savings lost...

tgon

docmatt wrote: »

Tgon what kind of budget do you want to spend on a new MPG busting motor and what kind of car do you want?

An average % off claimed mpg isn't a bad idea actually...

I've a 53 reg Honda Accord 2.4 Auto Exec getting 29mpg (calculated over 12 weeks). I do about 20k miles a year now. To start seeing significant financial gains (or less losses!) after a 3 year car loan I'd be looking to increase that by 200% + so looking around real 60+ mpg. (Plus a huge reduction in road tax, tyres, etc!) This leads me to look at some of the Fiesta's, the Volvo S40, and others on the "green" list. (Don't feel comfortable with hybrids yet.) A 1yo car like these puts me in the £10 to £14k group. I don't expect any more than £2k trade-in on the Honda, a little more at a dealer perhaps but Honda doesn't seem to attract the "green list".

tgon

TVR2 wrote: »

One thing to remember is if you commute a lot, an asthmatic eco-box may drive you mad before long, leading inevitably to a more aggressive driving style and any efficiency savings lost...

Believe me, I've a big adjustment to make in my head after many years of mid-range mercs, reps cars and punchy beamers! So know where you're coming from mate I gotta try - £250+ in petrol a month is killin' me!

greenman7

Try https://www.fuelly.com for "real life" consumption figures, make sure you use uk measurements (top left hand corner). I am presently looking there to find something more economical than my Citroen C3 - but cannot find much with greater economy than my 64.4mpg.

Hypermiling is the way to go, maximising the potential of the vehicle you already have

TVR2

tgon wrote: »

Believe me, I've a big adjustment to make in my head after many years of mid-range mercs, reps cars and punchy beamers! So know where you're coming from mate I gotta try - £250+ in petrol a month is killin' me!

I too weap every time I visit the petrol station. Why not a 2.2 diesel Accord if you like your 2.4i?