My wife and I just got our first hybrid, a Toyota Crown Limited rated at 41 MPG. It’s parked in the garage right now while we wait out the hurricane here in Florida. On our first drive from the dealership, we did about 30 miles on the freeway and 20 on side streets. The car shows an average of 27 MPG, which seems way off from what’s advertised. Is this normal for a new car? Will it get better, or should I be worried something’s wrong? I’m new to hybrids, so any advice would help.
The MPG estimate from the car isn’t always spot-on, especially with a new vehicle that hasn’t had time to adjust. Your average should improve as you drive more, but it depends a lot on your driving style. Hybrids shine in city driving because they use the electric motor more, but on the highway, they rely more on the gas engine, so you might see lower numbers there. Give it some time!
@Tracy
All my Toyotas have great gas mileage because I drive gently and don’t treat every trip like a race. My Avalon Hybrid gets 44 MPG, and my Sienna Hybrid does about 33-36 MPG.
You could keep a little notebook in the car or use your phone to track your miles between fill-ups for the first 1,000 miles or so. This will help until the car’s computer fully adjusts.
Clayton said:
You could keep a little notebook in the car or use your phone to track your miles between fill-ups for the first 1,000 miles or so. This will help until the car’s computer fully adjusts.
Fuelly’s a great app for this! I noticed that around 3,000 miles, the MPG really picked up on my car. It felt like the battery started working better (just my perception though). By 5,000 miles, the range estimates were spot-on.
Stay safe! Your MPG reading isn’t too reliable right now since you haven’t put many miles on it yet. The engine needs a break-in period, usually around 1,500 miles, before the MPG readings get more accurate. My experience with Toyota hybrids is that they usually end up doing better than what the EPA says. Here’s a link with some tips to help you get the best fuel efficiency: Maximize Your Hybrid MPG.
My Venza is rated 37/40 MPG highway/city. I was getting about 33 MPG during the first 500 miles, but it’s been closer to 40 MPG since, and I drive mostly on the highway. You should see it improve as you put more miles on it.
It’s all about how you drive. Coasting is your friend. Get up to speed and then ease off the throttle. Use the throttle indicator on the display. Speeds between 45-60 mph are ideal. Anything over 70 really eats into your MPG.
If it was idling at the dealer for a while, it was basically getting 0 MPG during that time, which affects the average. Try resetting it and see what you get on your next drive.
Try driving in eco mode. On the highway, leave some space between you and the car in front, and stick to around the speed limit. Use cruise control if you can. No hard braking! My Avalon Hybrid gets 44 MPG when I drive like this.
Eco mode helped me add about 2.5 MPG on my RAV4 Hybrid, especially on the highway. I was getting 36 MPG at 80 mph and saw it go up to 38.5.
Fill up the tank, reset the trip meter, drive until you’re low on gas, fill up again, and do the math. That’s your MPG.