Toyota Prius MPG-Real World Numbers

laderaking

Hey everyone, I am considering purchasing the prius. A friend of mine who owned one warned me that on a hot day you basically have to choose, AC or power. His was a 2008 so I think the engine has been upgraded.
He was also saying that when in heavy traffic (living in LA) the AC was sketchy as well.

Anyone experience this?

Thanks in advance.

scottsim

Looks like my hilly 20mi commute, mostly highway I will be averaging around 80mpg on (20% of the time in ICE-kill).

I had a recent 377mi segment with 95mpg (flatter, slower) (60% ICE-kill). These are consumption gauge numbers. Real world gas-fill numbers to follow soon.

More here: www.smilingdogsranch.com/priusblog

Scott

mbros2k

3000 miles on the odometer and mileage has increased slightly to 50/hw and 46/city. We drive about 70 mph on the highway and normally and defensively around town using no special techniques.

bobw3

if you calculate the price of a gallon of diesel vs 87octane here's the real MPG equivalent:
gas $2.5/gal
diesel $3.0/gal
1000 miles driven@45mpg (diesel) = 22gal x $3 = $67
1000 miles driven@37mpg (gas) = 27gal x $2.5 = $67

So if I'm driving a car getting 37mpg, then a diesel would need to get 42mpg just to break even. And that's only if diesel is 50cents/gal more. I've seen it where diesel is almost $1 more than regular gas, which means this:

1000 miles driven@45mpg (diesel) = 22gal x $3.5 = $77
1000 miles driven@33.5mpg (gas) = 31gal x $2.5 = $77

So if diesel was $1 more per gallon then getting 45mpg would equal 33.5mpg in a regular gas car.

Based on this, if the Prius will give you 50mpg on the highway and the TDI 45mpg, it's really a comparison of 50mpg vs 33-37mpg of the TDI if you factor in the price of diesel.

dgr124

Got my Prius last summer. Easily could get avg. MPG in the 50s. Actually did a bit better on highway at 60-65 mph. Winter here in Wisconsin did bring the numbers down to 43-46. Recently on some warm days, mileage was up again. Currently reading 57.2 MPG. Although not sure how accurate that is. But it is still great. (On highway, held accelerator down, going 70. Kept foot on accelerator and hit brake. Car/engine immediately slowed down)

tlmike

I got my 2010 Prius this past Sunday. I live in Southern Cal, so no cold weather issues. After 100 miles, stated mpg is surprisingly low at 43.5. Still, over 2.5 times better than the Acura TL I used to drive (got 16 mpg city). My commute is 100% city, flat roads, many stoplights. 7.5 miles to work. I tend to run the a/c all of the time, which has got to hit the numbers a bit. Still, I had hoped for the 51 mpg city that the sticker claimed (the sticker also hedged with a range of 43 - 57).

tlmike

down to 42.7 mpg now. I hit the eco mode button, I'll see if that does anything to improve mileage.

lew74

I live in Port Richey Florida and have an 05 prius. In summer without ac I get 55 to 56 mpg. in winter I get 52to 53 mpg. In summer with ac I get 52 to 53 mpg. However my normal drive each day is about 6 mile each way,if I make a lot of short trips to store etc mpg will drop 3 to 4 mpg.

stevegold

I'm finishing up my second set of OEM tires. I have a separate set of snow tires for winter use. What are the best tires for wear and comfortable ride?

mapleleave

Has anybody traded a Gen 2 prius to a Gen 3? I am wondering for the same commute and driver, what has been the improvement for 2010 Prius.

My 07 touring with aftermarket B/S tire average 41mpg in summer time, and 43mpg if my top speed is limited to 66mph. In the winter, it is about 38mpg in Michigan.

mickeyrom

My gen II averages better than yours on the highway,sometimes as high as 60MPG,but typically around 50.In town,it's quite a bit less.Only 30 or so.
EPA does rate the 2010 a bit higher,not sure if it's accurate.Probably not since my car is so far off the EPA ratings,especially in town.
I am not complaining.I have never had a car that got close to 30 MPG in city until I bought this Prius.(or even 20)

mickeyrom

My last two fill ups on highway driving were 48.0 and 49.6.Seems OK to me,but driving around town is much lower.Speeds 55-70

john1701a

>> Has anybody traded a Gen 2 prius to a Gen 3?

Yup, all 3 actually...

Gen 1 = 59,827 miles (3 years) averaged 45.4 mpg

Gen 2 = 118,185 miles (5.5 years) averaged 47.7 mpg

Gen 3 = 20,219 miles (1 year) averaged 50.1 mpg

.

agnosto

First tank around 424 miles in ODO averaged 55.1 MPG when purchased new. Second tank about 196 miles so far, and 620 miles in ODO average is 68.0 MPG mixed driving, all I have to say is woOOOow, what an amazing vehicle the 2010 Toyota Prius is!!!! So very glad I got rid of my 2010 4Runner via trade-in...

tlmike

3 months after purchase, my 2010, in eco mode, got 50.3 mpg after 408 miles, according to the prius computer. At the pump, mpg was actually 47.53. Almost all city driving.

mickeyrom

My 2007 has no "eco" mode ,but I am quite happy with the gas consumption, and a bit puzzled.My best mileage is on the highway and not city,which is at least 10 MPG less.I have seen it average over 60MPG on the computer,but that was only one time.I think it was a tail wind.Usually My computer average is 46 and at the pump, 43.That's close enough.

agnosto

2nd tank and put 703.3 miles with 69.0MPG computer calculated and 1138 miles in ODO.............. woooooooooow what an amazing vehicle this 2010 Prius is... just wondering if anyone else has achieved close to this MPG.

myno

For Gen 3 Prius, urban driving conditions, this note describes a SIMPLE way to reliably exceed 65 mpg. This is a technique you can use from day 1 with your new Gen 3 Prius. Anyone can do it. There are other techniques which take awhile to learn, and can get better mileage, but this one is so simple it will be the one you use.

(Note: I have the new low viscosity engine oil, and I declined the voluntary braking recall which would have reprogrammed the Prius' computer controls regarding regenerative braking. I have the inexpensive "Prius 1" model, which comes w/o any fancy gadgets like cruise control. I do not believe that any of these things substantially change my Prius's ability to get excellent gas mileage.)

I live in Hawaii, on Oahu, where weather is not an issue. My usual driving does not involve climbing more than small hills, and the remainder is on essentially flat terrain. Just recently, however, I averaged over 65 mpg on a 100 mile loop that involved one sustained climb to an elevation of 1000', plus several minor hills.

First, what I am NOT doing. Google "pulse-and-glide". That technique can reportedly obtain extremely high mileage from a Prius. The problem is that it is not useful in real life. On the roads I travel, a typical speed limit is 35 mph, and traffic typically goes along at 40-45 mph. If one were to drive using the P&G technique, accelerating quickly up to 45, then slowing to 30, then back up... it would drive the other drivers half crazy, and might even be hazardous to following traffic.

So I have modified the P&G technique, relaxing its frantic acceleration and glide pattern to be almost unnoticeable by the other drivers. And I still get almost 70 mpg doing it. Here's how...

Start by turning on Eco Mode. The panel should then constantly display the green ECO Mode light. Keep it that way.

Change the display to "Hybrid System Indicator" mode. This shows the horizontal white bar that extends out to the right as you accelerate. The Prius manual calls this the Hybrid System Indicator. I call it the horizontal white bar.

Now some background info. Above that horizontal bar is an oval that displays "ECO" when the white bar is not all the way to the right side. The ECO oval sits right above the half-way point on the white bar. Generally speaking, the Prius uses that half-way point to decide whether to turn on the engine. If you have plenty of battery charge, and you keep the white bar to the left of the half-way point, the engine stays off and the Prius uses its battery to propel the vehicle. You can tell by looking at the slightly-curved vertical instantaneous MPG display. If only the battery is in use, that instantaneous MPG value shoots all the way to the top, over 100 mpg. When the engine comes on, that vertical MPG bar comes down to half way, more or less, depending on the situation.

My technique involves trying to keep the white bar in one of two general locations: to the left of the half-way point, or just below the right end of the ECO oval. These two conditions correspond to the "glide" (only using the battery, with the engine off), and the "pulse" (accelerating... albeit much more slowly than in the classical P&G technique, and NOT accelerating 10 or 15 mph).

So, if there is plenty of battery charge, you can get 100+ mpg by keeping the bar to the left of half-way. But that will rapidly drain the battery. When the battery stack gets down to 2 bars, the engine will go on and the vertical instantaneous MPG bar will drop. When that happens, push down on the accelerator pedal just enough to position the white bar at the right end of the ECO oval. This will give you weak acceleration, not enough on level ground to quickly charge ahead by 10 or 15 mph as the P&G technique describes. Mostly it will allow you to maintain speed, slowly increasing speed, while also charging the battery pack. Then, a short while later (15-45 seconds, or hopefully longer if you are fortunate), as traffic dictates, you will probably need to take your foot off the gas, at which point the battery will have been charged a little bit, and the car will turn off the engine, switch back to battery only mode, and you're "gliding" at 100+ MPG.

Because you only use a slight acceleration (putting the white bar to the right edge of the ECO oval), the speed of your vehicle won't change very much. It mostly maintains its speed (on level ground) while adding charge to the battery. This allows you to return to the "gliding" part of the cycle, where the white bar is to the left of the half-way point... the whole idea being to glide as much as possible.

I have found that putting the white bar just to the right of the half-way point doesn't charge the battery quickly enough, and putting it farther right than the right edge of the ECO oval accelerates too quickly to maintain position in flowing traffic. Of course, some geography and traffic situations require actions that exceed these guidelines. But you will be able to judge for yourself. Hopefully, if enough people try this, we can get some more real world data to help fine-tune this technique.

Caveat: in any case, you as driver are alone responsible for safe driving decisions, and you should never endanger yourself, your passengers, other drivers or pedestrians by attempting any maneuver, whether or not someone says it might be useful. Be especially wary of any task that distracts you from proper attention to your vehicle, the road, its conditions and surroundings. As others have noted, any P&G technique involves starting and stopping the engine on a regular and sustained basis. Although the Prius was purportedly designed to take this sort of activity, it might affect the general wear on the components of your vehicle, for which this author takes no responsibility. Please use your own judgment, and you assume all risks for adhering to or departing from the spirit or letter of these suggestions.

dgr124

I have had my 2010 Prius II for about a year. I mostly drive it in ECO mode, and usually get better mileage on the highway, about 57. ( The dash readout says 60, but actual is less). City is usually 50-53.) Winter here in Wisconsin is definitely less than that.) As recommended by others, trying to keep the "bar" to the left of the mid line and certainly to the left of the far right box is the best way to save gas.

agnosto

Wooow, it is getting better and better, 4th tank of gas 739.9miles and 71.9MPG computer calculated for a total of over 2500 miles in ODO, what an amazing vehicle the 2010 Prius is!!!!

kermit262

Hello all,

I’m a new Prius owner and am confused over how everyone’s MPG is derived. With my previous Mazda6, I would calculate the mileage (miles/gallons) for each fill-up, record it, then repeat the process. When anyone asked what mileage I got, I would report the Average MPG, 23.06. That is, the average of all fill-ups.

The Prius muddies the water. First off, it has an on board computer that calculates MPG, which my Mazda6 lacked. Further, it slices the data in numerous ways – MPG over 5 minute intervals, MPG over 1 minute intervals, MPG on Trip A, MPG on Trip B, etc.

When folks on this forum report MPG, what method are they using? The old fashioned way (ex., my Mazda6 Average MPG), which I doubt, or the Prius computer generated number, which makes sense. But if so, which computer generated number? The one from your last fill-up, the one from the last 5 minutes, etc.

I think it would be easy to cherry-pick MPG numbers, since the Prius provides so many to choose from. But the number that should be use (unless otherwise stated, say, your MPG on a recent road trip), is the Average MPG of all fill-ups. Do you agree, and can I assume that’s what folks are reporting?

Finally, can you tell me where I can find this number, in the many displays that the Prius provides? I’ve read the owners manual and it’s still not completely clear.

Thanks for bringing me up to speed.
:confuse:

mickeyrom

On the bottom of the display,there is one that says miles and another says MPG.That is since the last time you cleared it back to 0.
You can also do it the old fashioned way.Miles divided by gallons.This is probably more accurate,although the computer is always within 2-3 miles per gallon.Sometimes right on.
When you fill up the tank,do it very slowly or it might shut off long before the tank is full,which will give you some very inaccurate MPG calculations.
BTW if your Prius is a 2010,all of my advice might be for naught as mine is a gen II.Still, manual calculation works the best.

kermit262

Thanks. Mine is a 2010, so if there's additional input please feel free to reply.

bobw3

Is your MPG manually calculated or based on the trip computer? Just wondering because doing these "unusual" techniques may confuse the trip computer and could lead to inaccurate trip computer results, especially over a short driving period of calculation...eg less than 100 miles driven. When calculating MPG, you really need to do so after driving a few hundred miles on the tank, not just checking after driving 50 miles.

mickeyrom

This has been a surprise because EPA indicates superior mileage in city driving.
I live in a small town(pop 13,000) and there is a lot of stop and go driving due to stop signs etc. I get just barely over 30MPG on the trip computer.
On the highway at legal speeds,I get 45-50 easily.Should I be satisfied? Is this typical? I forgot to mention that this is a 2007 model Prius.

bobw3

I just calculated 48.9mpg manually (showed 50.7mpg on the computer) for my first tank (about 430 miles when the fuel gauge showed one bar) for my 2006 Prius I just bought a little over a weeks ago after mixed driving. I stopped filling after the pump clicked off, so I may have slightly under-filled. We'll see how it does for the next tank. I realize the first tank, even with a used car, isn't the most accurate. My wife mostly drive the car and she isn't using any fancy driving methods.

mickeyrom

Excellent!

sthoge

That has been my experience as well for our 2008 model. Driving around downtown areas, block to block stopping/starting doesn't do very well at all. Fortunately for me I have a 10 mile drive to work and there are only six lights and the speed is 30 or 35 the whole trip and it's fairly flat driving and we are getting better than 55 MPG during the summer.

jayrider

I've been looking long and hard at new vehicles. The 2010 prius IV with no options is almost in my garage. Waiting for a better trade in number. The prius was chosen without much concern re mpg although that is a nice bonus. It simply represents the perfect sized hatchback [roomy] that I could find. Golf clubs fit and storage in general is fabulous. Seats are great and for an older dude -- getting in and out is perfect. .9 financing and a decent discount is compelling. The ride is also fine. What else do I need priced in the the mid- 20's.

treehugger66

I have a 2010 Prius which replaced a 2005 Prius which one of my sons made off with.
I have a base model with 17 in wheels. My best mileage calculated by elapsed miles divided by gallons required to refill the tank to the first click in the older Prius was 61.4 mpg which was obtained by meticulous care in keeping the engine off. My usual mileage was around 52-55 around town and on trips driving pretty fast around 48.
My new Prius now has nearly 8k miles and I have never broken 50 mpg around town driving more or less the same way as always. In fact my calculated mileage is more in the 45 mpg range or less.
Could it be the larger diameter tires? I have checked the tire pressure and use 36 all around. The tires are Pirelli's and their literature says 35 psi.
Any ideas would be appreciated.

treehugger66

My Prius 1 (base model) with options of 17 in tires, tinted windows, and rear bumper scuff plate was just under 21k....Unless you like all the electric gadgets on the upscale models why spend the money?

jayrider

I hear you treehugger but I've got to have heated leather seats. It's a tush thing.

bobw3

I read somewhere that the Gen III designed for better highway MPG, so maybe that's why your city MPG on your 2005 was better. Plus all cars have ranges in MPG. You could take 2 identical cars and drive them identically and get different MPG based on slight differences in the components, friction, efficiency, etc.

You can read all the time about some folks gettting poor MPG for a given set of driving conditions while another person gets great MPG over the same conditions.

The bottom line is that every car is a little bit different. It sounds like your '05 was giving you better than average MPG and your 2010 maybe slightly less than average. Don't be discouraged. Just accept the fact that you were lucky for the past 5 years with your Gen II.

Kirstie_H

Just an aside - I almost chided you for (mild) namecalling, til I noticed the member's ID actually is treehugger. :P

jayrider

Actually the term tree hugger doesn't have any negative conotation in my book.

mickeyrom

Absolutely...I consider myself a "tree hugger".I also get only 30-32 MPG dring around town.

tonybr

Now having 7300+ miles on my 2010 Prius II, the overall average is 45.6 mpg according to the trip computer. However, dividing the actual miles driven (per odometer) by total gallons of fuel used, the average is 42.5 mpg, a difference of slightly over 7%.

The vast majority of miles driven has been in town, usually trips of perhaps 5 miles or less including multiple traffic lights, stop signs, and turns. Only about 1000 miles has been highway driving, usually at speeds of close to 75 mph.

"In town" the mpg varies of course and generally is about 43 (per computer) and actually 40 (gallons/miles).

The most recent highway trip (455 miles) registered 55.2 mpg per the computer, and by actual fuel consumed over the distance yields 52.0 mpg.

Each data measurement of course includes some error, but over time and many miles I think the aggregate effect of those is relatively insignificant.

jayrider

Only have 700 miles on my 2010. Average on the computer is high 40's mixed with not a lot of short trips. Hwy in the low 50's. Drive conservatively but not obsessive re eco. There is nothing better on the road so mediocre for the prius is outstanding for anything else. Whatever your mpg, relax, it's the best of the best. Can't do any better.

bobw3

Just drove 1200 miles and averaged 53mpg based on manual calculation. Mostly highway driving at 65mph...very happy.

jcg8

Mine is 2010 Prius II and has approximately 8000 miles. I live in a mountainous neighborhood where the gasoline engine normally kicks in. In city driving, I seem to get an average of about 43 miles a gallon according to the computer. On the highway, driving in the 70’s, I have gotten as much as 70 miles a gallon.
I love my Prius. It is a fun car to drive around, it has sufficient interior space and I love the transmission. I had a Honda Civic in the early eighties that had an earlier version of the CVT and appeared promising. I’ve noted that other manufacturers are converting into this technology as well.

lew74

I believe some of you may not looking at the most important factor in mpg in local driving.
The big killer to mpg is short trips of 1 or 2 miles where the engine does not have sufficient time to warm up and the car is pumping excess gas to the catalytic converter to heat it up to reduce the pollution.

My normal commute is 6 miles each way with speeds of 30 and 45 mph. In the fall and spring here in Florida I average near 60 mpg (no AC). But in my local driving mall, home depot, Sams Club, I average 52 mpg. Overall year round mpg is about 54 mpg this includes Summer AC and winter .

I do drive to get high mpg and get into stealth as often as possible.

georgekelli

I replaced tires on my 2007 Prius in Spring of 2010 and immediately experienced a drop from 48 mpg to 41 mpg. Nothing else changed, just new tires. Very disappointing. Looked everywhere online to get advice or confirmation of similar experience. Hope I find an answer on this forum. I am gg to increase tire pressure to 42 psi and see if this helps.

PF_Flyer

Were those the original tires you replaced? I'd bet that they had lower rolling resistance than the new tires. I know someone who put special low rolling resistance tires on their hybrid and changed them out a week later because of decreased traction. It's a sliding scale. The more traction you opt for, the more it will affect your mileage.
Think about snow tires for example. Definitely better traction, but they DO cost you at the pump!

jayrider

The new continental eco tire is well rated both for traction and mpg.

mickeyrom

I have had my Prius since January and have averaged 45.1 MPG.It's better on the highway,which it's not supposed to be.I get only about 35MPG in town.
It would be hard to make the car cheaper as it is a very complex piece of machinery,however they could save a bit by eliminating some electronics such as power windows,locks and a CD player.I don't think that would save more than a grand on the price though.

dmathews3

and if they did make them without power windows/locks they'd sit on the dealers lot for months. I have worked in car factories and for example in the factory that made the Grand Am and its siblings they ran about 3 cars to 5 cars in 24 hours that had manual trannies. Why, no one wanted or ordered them and this was in a factory that put out anywhere from 1500 to 2000 cars per day. Not very many is it. And though not nearly as low manual door locks/windows were maybe a hundred out of the total per day. Again not many. In this day and age of computerized building/shipping I think it would cost more to build a car with manual windows/locks than it does to build them with. Car companies take advantage of computers in building cars/trucks down to the last little thing. I have seen them build white cars for days without another color being painted cause it is far cheaper to do it that way then to clean robot painters and prepare them for another color.

npm

My city/highway comnbined average since day one is 55.4 mpg. So, yes it is true.

mickeyrom

You totally miss the point.The poster to who I was responding commented that the Prius was too expensive for Asians.ASIANS.I simply suggested what would make them less expensive,probably not cheaper enough to make a difference.

Kirstie_H

It's also a bit of a moot point, as I've determined that the person posting the question was not, in fact, asking a genuine question, but spamming for his online parts store. :mad:

agnosto

2010 Prius IV with almost 9,000 miles and 60MPG combined (71.9MPG best ever), very pleased so far and one of the best Toyota vehicles I have owned...