I've had my Prius for just over 3 weeks and the MPG game started pretty quickly. It's exciting to see it go up, sad to see it go down; it's a dirty game. So, I'm wondering, what's everybody's MPG Goal? Mine is 48.3. I've been there once for 5 whole minutes and now I'm itching to get back there. Granted, I'm at 48.2 but 48.3 would be better. I had a heart attack at 47.5 - that was my worst - after I drove like a maniac to get home. Yours?

I have consistently averaged 50 mpg per tank. The best trip number has been 54. I have had the car around two months with around 2000 miles on her. Most of my driving consists of short trips....5 or ten minutes. I live close to work. My goal is to maintain the 50mpg each tank. Now that it is starting to get cooler out I wonder if I will see a drop. I live in the San Francisco bay area so it never gets extremely cold. I also read that around 5000 miles the engine should start to reach its max efficiency. I am very happy with 50 mpg.

If 47.5 gives you a heart attack, then you'll probably be dead by winter!

Seriously, expect it to drop when the temperature drops. On the other hand, you can mitigate that effect by studying and practicing "hypermiling" techniques described here and in other forums (let me know if you need those sites).

I bought my Prius in 12/05, and probably had fuel efficiency in the low 40s through the winter. I can't tell you what the worst was because I didn't start recording my fillups until April. As weather warmed, it gradually rose. Throughout the summer it's been in the 50s.

I've never had a goal in particular until the current tank: 60 MPG. It's been only in the last couple of months that I've really applied hypermiling techniques in a consistent way. It looks like I'll hit my goal; it was at 61.2 this morning at the end of my commute, with just 3 pips left on the fuel gauge.

BTW, it seems as though your "goal" is for a trip at a time. Given that many variables affect your mileage from trip to trip, you may consider a tank-at-a-time goal, or average it out over several tankfuls. If you get caught in a prolonged major traffic jam on a cold, rainy day, your FE will plummet. Then you might be dead BEFORE winter. As a paramedic, I'd hate to hear that my colleagues had to respond to resuscitate you from sub-40-MPG-induced cardiac arrest!

Jim

Lifetime fuel mileage:

After learning how to hypermile:

I'm on my third tank of gas. The first couple of tanks hovered around 50MPG, but this tank (with 3 pips left) is at 55.4MPG. I think I am getting the hang of 'hypermiling' - but the unfortunate side-effect is that the pickup of the car from a dead-stop is super-slow as I let it run on battery for as long as possible (until I reach around 40MPH). I've been accused of driving like a grand-pa, but I take pride in my MPGs.
+G

50's something isn't what I would call "hypermiling", at least not compared to a Honda Insight but I get what you mean.