So I was wondering how some people were turning in huge fuel economy figures. Well, I took a look and most of them are some form of 'by display' meaning a Scanguage. I have one too but they aren't accurate for recording MPG's and I've never been able to keep mine calibrated well enough to use it for this.

So I pose the question that the GL's figures are inflated due to this approach exagerating the top end of the numbers.

Seems to me the only accurate method is distance travelled/fuel used or 'by hand'.

I'm running the Scanguage too and I just use it for a reference to keep my mileage up. Miles driven divided by gallons used = MPG,

Unfortunately, most odometers and gas-pump readouts aren't that accurate ether. This is why some folks trust other ways of calculation.

Some hybrids have a built-in MPG computer, others use Scanguages, and others use the miles traveled readouts on their GPS units. which are sometimes more accurate.

i know that my display reads a few miles higher than actual. all my MPG figures come from dividing miles driven by gallons used. that's about as accurate as i can get.

Best fill 66.7 MPG, best tank 801.5 miles



laurie, central minnesota

Same here -- gas receipts and ODO mileage only. ODO is checked against the check distances on the highways whenever I encounter one.

It is the ignorant among us that will eventually destroy us all.

Thanks everyone. I, too, report miles/fuel not Scanguage (though it's a decent indicator - just not accurate). I think it likely that the overall economy is inflated by the 'display' false readings, especially given experience of over 13,000 miles so far.

All my figures are by gas pump and miles driven via the Odometer - the hand method. This is a proven method - my Dad was doing this long before the scan gauge or other tools appeared.

If you approach it from the standpoint that:
1> your odometer is accurate (why would it not be) and
2> the pump is accurate (weights and measures officials routinely check gasoline pumps for accuracy every year)
- then even if the pump shuts off early or late - in the long run it all evens out.

In addition to posting my results on this web site - I keep an Excel spreadsheet. In the spreadsheet I have a column that takes my last three fill ups and computes what I call my "rolling mpg". The peaks and valleys of individual fill ups are not as pronounced. With this calculation - it basically eliminates fill up variations from different pumps and locations. It also allows for a smoother trend line then individual fillups.

I use the odometer and the amount of fuel on the receipt from the gas pump. Keep track in an Excel spreadsheet, been doing that for years.

I don't have a scanguage (santa stiffed me yet again this year)--all done by hand calculation. I don't think any of the users regularly reporting their VGL's mpg report strictly scanguage numbers.

Just returned on a 2000+ mile trip in 8 days, and averaged slightly over 31 mpg with a ton of junk in the car and an average speed above 70. Love driving from NW CT to central IN while stopping only once for gas. Wife does not.

That doesn't surprise me. There is small variance (about 2 MPG) between automatic calculation and manual calculation on my HCH.