Toyota Echo Real World MPG

pat · July 2006

What are your day-to-day mileage experiences with your Echo?

nippononly · July 2006

Well, I guess I asked for it, eh?! I just didn't expect such a quick response! :-)

Well, the running average, now covering almost 10K miles, has just edged back up above 41 mpg, in my '02 5-speed. But I fear this tank coming up, with pretty much 100% A/C use, will drag it down a bit again. This car is amazingly consistent though, with the running average hovering right around 41 mpg and no fill-up ever being more than about 5% off the mark above or below.

marika · July 2006

I posted this originally in the general section of echo discussions:
#5034 of 5053 first mpg report by marika Jul 09, 2006 (5:45 am)

I've had my Echo for about 3 months now. It took me that long to go through a single tank of gas! Here are my stats:

-2001 5spd coupe
-flat N. Fla terrain
-exclusively city driving
-50% heavy, 50% light traffic
-exclusively short trips (<4 miles)
-light but constant a/c use (lowest setting)
-9.02 gallons, 341 miles = 37.7 mpg.

I was hoping to break 40. I drive like a granny, coast as much as possible, irritate the mess out of the people behind me, etc.

val61sf · July 2006

I have a 2001 Echo which I purchased new. It has been a great car. I drive about 50 miles each day, almost all is highway. I usually average about 33-35 miles per gallon in the summer when the AC runs continuously. I live down near Galveston, TX with the current average temp of 95 degrees. When I run up to see a friend in North Texas, I get about 39 miles to the gallon... again runnng the AC. I'm looking to make a trade later this year and have thought about getting the Matrix. Am curious about what differences I will notice between the two. And, not sure whether to get a 2006 as they close out or get the 2007 (before they make the rumored changes in 2008).

nippononly · July 2006

Having owned both, I will say you will find the Matrix to be a LOT bigger, and visibility out the back will be significantly less. You will also get more comfy seats and an even more upright, minivan-like seating position, if that is possible. It will have sharper handling obviously, but unless you get the top-line XRS it is nothing more than comfy-sporty, rather than a true handler. Lots of understeer, as much as the Echo if not more.

And your gas mileage will drop by about 20%, if my experience is anything to judge by. For a car that is no quicker off the line, but obviously will hold a lot more stuff inside.

And there will be no difference between the '06 and '07 I assume, as this current generation is in its twilight years. If they delay the Corolla as they now say they will, there will be an '08 too, and by this time next year there may be cash rebates, so if you can wait that long (or at least until winter), you may get a better deal.

Good luck! :-)

nippononly · July 2006

Well, this pretty much confirms my suspicions. With the extraordinary heat of late, I have been running the A/C pretty much 100% of the time, and tonight's fill-up at only 360 miles was 9.4 gallons, for a paltry 38 mpg on this tank. Not too good. :-(

That A/C is a killer for the mpgs. I think it has a much bigger impact than excessive speed does. I figure this is about an 8% drop in fuel economy for me, and might be the lowest single tank I have ever had with the car.

Could be a fluke too, of course, so with it appearing that the weather is going to continue unchanged for a while, I will probably have more tanks with a ton of A/C use, and I can see how I do then.

pulgo · July 2006

I also own a 2001 purchased new. The odometer reads 146k Miles and my average over the last 5 years is 41.04. That is mostly commuting to work, 40 miles each way, 40% highway, 60% city.

Lately the AC is on most of the time but the mileage for the last three months has been closer to 42 mpg.

It is in winter where it drops to 36-38 mpg.

nippononly · August 2006

long tank, finally filled up yesterday, and the little guy is performing like a champ: 439 miles and 10.5 gallons, which is close to 42 mpg (41.8 to be exact). :-)

It just keeps on truckin' - I am headed up to Yosemite in it on Monday for a short trip - I wonder what the mountains will do to the mileage.

nippononly · August 2006

results this time: 329 miles, 8.5 gallons. The exact figuring is 38.7, call it 39 mpg in my usual manner, still not the 40 or more I have come to expect. :-(

nippononly · August 2006

tonight's results: 391 miles, 9.5 gallons, so 41.1 mpg, I'll call that one 41. Love this car, even if gas has cheapened slightly - I paid $2.97/gallon tonight! That's the first time in AGES I have paid less than $3.

Also discovered a tire with a slow leak - dontcha just hate that? :-/

pat · August 2006

That's better than a fast leak!

bottgers · August 2006

Many people believe running the A/C has more of an adverse affect on fuel economy than does cold weather. It's actually the other way around. Most people will only see a 3-5% drop in fuel economy when running the air, while cold weather will cause a 15-20% drop.

nippononly · August 2006

almost no variation between winter and summer mpg in the Echo. It is a rare tank that falls below 39 mpg or rises above 41 mpg at either temperature extreme, a fact of which I am glad! :-)

I think the slightly poorer mpg of the winter gas and colder morning start-ups is offset by the almost constant use I make of the A/C in the summer.

But then of course, I live in coastal California, so.......seasons? What seasons? :-P

nippononly · September 2006

The smiley is because even with someone ELSE driving about 100 miles of this tank (I lent the car to a friend), it still managed 39 mpg this morning at the pump.

360 miles, 9.25 gallons, 38.92 mpg. And gas is down to $2.90/gallon as well! The little car definitely went easy on my wallet this morning.

nippononly · September 2006

this time, because I have a couple of longish trips to make tomorrow. So anyway, only 299 miles, putting in 7.0 gallons, which comes out to 42.7, call it 42 1/2. I think the pump may have shut off a little early though, so I will definitely average it with the next fill-up to get a more realistic mileage figure for both tanks.

And hey, $2.82/gallon means the whole fill-up cost me $20.02!! I can't remember the last time I filled up for $20, although once upon a time long ago that was what I anticipated at every gas stop.

nippononly · September 2006

I filled up tonight, 379 miles and 9.4 gallons, which I figured out is 40.3 mpg, call it 40 mpg. So, even averaged with what I thought was an unfull tank from last time, I got 41.5 mpg over the last 680 miles. Not too shabby...

:-)

Oh yeah, and gas is down to $2.69/gallon. The whole fill-up was $25 - any day now I will be able to fill up on a $20 bill again. Fantastic!

nippononly · October 2006

9.6 gallons. That's 41 mpg right on the nose. Go, go, Echo! :-)

nippononly · October 2006

without a fill-up this time. That's definitely one of the pluses of the fuel-thriftiness of this little car.

Did 454 miles, put in 11.3 gallons, which comes out a shade over 40 mpg according to my calculator. Nuttin' to complain about there! :-)

nippononly · October 2006

short tank: 247 miles, 6.0 gallons, for approximately 41.1, which I round to 41 mpg. :-)

nippononly · October 2006

this is getting repetitive! ;-)

385 miles, 9.2 gallons, which is 41.8 according to my calculator, call it 41-1/2, still it keeps the average up very nicely. :-)

nippononly · November 2006

which was 417 miles and 10.15 gallons. And included an oil change in there, keeping things flowing! :-)

nippononly · November 2006

299 miles, 7.7 gallons, which is just shy of 39 mpg. Lemme guess, the winter gas has come back?

Still 39 is acceptable as long as it doesn't repeat too often...

nippononly · November 2006

last night's fill was 363 miles, 8.6 gallons, for an average over 42 mpg. Oh yesssss! :-)

They say resale values of large SUVs are rebounding as gas prices stay moderately low. I say, why spend all that extra dough to gas up, even if it IS less expensive right now?

nippononly · February 2007

Just thought I would check in and say the superlative fuel economy has continued into the winter this year. Today's fill-up was 415 miles, 10.2 gallons, which by my calculator is 40.7 mpg. Not too bad. :-)

Gas is going back up in my area even though it's still winter, up to $2.70/gallon now. Glad my little car will go so far on each ounce of gas...I was thinking about it today, and with this gas mileage, my Echo only needs 3 ounces of gas to go a mile, or to put it another way, just a Big Gulp of gas would propel my Echo more than 10 miles! :-)

nippononly · February 2007

and gas is up another dime to $2.80/gal. We still aren't at March 1st! I guess we will be well over $3/gal before Labor Day this year. Hard to believe it was only two short years ago we still had prices like $1.50/gal.

Tonight was not so good, 395 miles on 10.25 gallons which only comes to 38.5 mpg. Averaged with the last tank I am slightly below the 40-mpg average I have come to count on.

It's time for fresh oil, air filter, and tire rotation next week. Perhaps that will boost my mpg numbers a bit. :-)

mopar71 · April 2007

When I first bought my echo I was getting 41-42 mpg but as the engine got older the mpgs went down,now I get about 38.I will replace the trans fluid with a synthetic to see if my mpgs go up.What does everybody else get?I already use synthetic engine oil and low rolling resistant tires,drive only highway and steady 65 mph.

nippononly · April 2007

was 8.25 gallons, 337 miles, which is around 41 mpg. Gas is up to $3.30/gallon for me now. :-(

It helps that my daily driver is the Echo! It now has 81K on the clock. How many miles on yours, mopar71?

mopar71 · April 2007

On my 03 echo I have 97k and on my 00 I had 155k.My daughter just got into an accident with my 2000

. My daughter is ok

I think I will keep it for parts,I will get an estimate to see how much it will cost to repair,My insurance will not pay because of the mileage and age,plus I didnt have collision.What year is your Echo?

nippononly · April 2007

mine is an '02, bought in October of that year. It's going to be 5 years old this fall, and I figure it will have about 90K on it by then. I am hoping to hit 120K before having to repair anything. :-)

Certainly it is a very good car to have around with the gas getting ready to hit $4/gallon.

pulgo · April 2007

I changed my oil last week and used Mobil 1 5W-20 for the first time. Over the last 342 miles the car used 6.75 gallons (US, not imperial). Works out to an MPG of 50.66.

I have only had better MPG last year in Arizona on a long stretch of highway at a steady 56 MPH and getting close to 52 MPG (51.92).

Total miles on my car are 165k. This little critter is getting better and better.

kneisl1 · April 2007

My 2001 ECHO with about 36k miles has gotten about 40 mpg average over its lifetime. UNTIL last fall when I started using gas with 10% alcohol in it. Then I started getting 33-35 mpg same type of driving ie city driving about 6 miles a trip speeds 45 mph. They say at the station this is the "winter forumla". Now the last two tanks Im back to 40 mpg. Winter formula must be gone now.
A couple years ago i went to Atlantic City and back a distance of about 165 miles. I went a steady 60 mpg and got 51 mpg when I filled the tank. I almost never drive long distances and over 45 mph. Thats the only time this happened. Better than a Prius I think!

nippononly · April 2007

and yes, it was 41, not surprising given my track record with this car. 402 miles, 9.8 gallons, which is exactly 41 mpg. I'm just about to turn over 82K miles. :-)

dsemery · June 2007

2003 2dr sedan, 89k miles currently.

usually get 41 mpg, depending on AC use.
Rear and passenger seats removed for better cargo capacity, negligible improovement in MPG.
Mostly rural/highway driving on eastern LI which has some hills, but is generally flat. A couple trips to Toronto via the Adirondacks, similar milage.

mopar71 · June 2007

These cars get between 35 to 42 miles per gallon(MPG). If someone says that they get 50(MPG) they must be talking about MPH-miles per hour or they dont know math!I have 2 echos,a 2000 and a 2003.I also have 2 friends that have echos to! Nobody has ever gotten 50 miles per gallon.I also put Mobile 1 0w20 and still get about 39, now that I put royal purple in the trans it got me an extra mpg.It shifts a lot more smoother to.

kneisl1 · June 2007

I got 52 mpg once drive 162 mile to Atlantic City and back. One of the rare times I drive on the highway above 45 mph. I went 60-65 the whole way. I never repeated that so I dont know if it was a fluke. But I do have about 8000 highway miles under the cars belt at 80 mph. Then its gets a pretty consistant 42 mpg.

mopar71 · June 2007

It was probably a fluke,Once I went to a gas station and told the attendant to fill it up,The nozzle stopped pumping so the attendant assumed it was full,when I did my calculation(I keep a calculator in my car)I got over 60 mpg.I told the guy that The car was not full he gave me only 6 gallons,I told him to repump and sure enough he pumped an additional 3 gallons.When I redid the math it was 37 mpg.To do these calculations correct you are better going to the same gas station,this way the car is in the same position,also fill it to the top and zero the odometer.then when you go and fill it again(usually when its almost empty,then you do your calculation.miles devided by gallons.I just did mine yesterday.EXAMPLE=350.5 miles driven after the attendant filled it up he put in 8.837 gallons.I rezero my odometer for my next trip.350.5/8.837=39.662. I used my airconditioner quit a bit.

kneisl1 · June 2007

I do use the same gas station even the exact same pump. I even buy almost exactly the same ammount of fuel every two weeks, five gallons. The only strange thing that seems to happen is that one week I get 42-44 mpg and the next week I will get 36-38. Cant explain that.

nippononly · June 2007

Pshaw! I got 50 mpg in the Echo on two different tankfuls. It was a winter trip to SoCal, took the coast road (101) so more flat terrain and no 80 mph passing stuff, in contrast with I-5. Set the cruise on 65, never had to use A/C, was doing 500 miles per tank and putting in 10 gallons at a shot. That's 50 in my book.

I was doing one thing different on purpose to see how high I could boost my mileage, and that was instead of passing cars by speeding up, I would slow down behind them until the road was clear, and then pass them at 65 mph (101 is 4 or 6 lanes the whole way, in case you're worried! :-P). It was an evening drive both ways, neither day was Friday or Sunday, so I could do that easily as there wasn't a lot of traffic.

Another long trip I took in it, I was running 65-70 mph with higher-speed passing and had the A/C running all the way, and was still pulling 46 mpg in long highway stints.

The Echo is possibly the most amazing gas-saving machine sold by a major car manufacturer since the days of Geo Metros and the special hi-mi Civics of the late 80s and early 90s.

edit: when I am in town, the Echo is my commute car, and like kneisl1 I always fill at the same gas station, almost always at the same pump. Unlike kneisl, however, my mileage never varies much. 39 is a rare and low reading, 42 would be rare and high. Almost without exception the mileage is always 40-41 in town, and I fill it when the light comes on, so my fills are always 9.5-10 gallons. Gotta love that consistency! ;-)

kneisl1 · June 2007

Thats practically as good as a Prius would get on the highway. Prius does its best around town where the battery can come into play. Which is good because most driving is done there. On the road forget it, the battery isnt used and your lugging around 1000 pounds of advanced technology that might as well be a load of stone. Oh well at least the poor sods have their lie-o-meter pinball machine dashboard they can monitor the mileage on. Of course they believe it and think they are just the bees knees driving such a wonderfull car! All the while they have been goofed into paying twice as much for a car as an ECHO/Yaris. Which gets 80% (or better) of the mileage.

nippononly · June 2007

I have done the same trip in the Prius, and managed 45 mpg or so. I would say if most of your driving is on the highway and you don't mind spartan equipment levels, you would be better off saving $12 grand and buying an Echo, now Yaris, than springing for the Prius.

But of course if you do a grinding stop-and-go commute every day and you like luxury features in your car, well then of course you should go with the Prius.

kneisl1 · June 2007

If you buy a Prius over a Yaris you will pay thousands for that decision. I would urge anyone considering such a purchase to do a carefull study of the bottom line. The Prius is not a viable economic proposition. (compared to the Yaris or better yet, a used ECHO)

nippononly · June 2007

I think there are some very valid reasons to buy a Prius over an Echo or Yaris, they just have little to do with fuel economy.

1. You want to make a statement about the environment with your car. Prius does this outstandingly.

2. You want partial-zero emissions, as opposed to ULEV (Echo) or ?? (Yaris - is it LEV or ULEV? I think it is just LEV).

3. You want seat heaters, a 10-speaker factory stereo, cameras everywhere, keyless start, the list goes on and on. If you want a high-tech or luxurious car that gets fantastic gas mileage and has rock-bottom emissions, the Prius can't be beat, and the Echo isn't a contender.

If you are looking for basic transportation that is rock-solid-reliable, has high fuel economy and low emissions, and can keep up with the crowd on the road, well then Echo or Yaris is your man! :-)

kneisl1 · June 2007

Right. Toyota should make people sign a statement saying just that. It should also say "I understand I wont be saving any money."

mopar71 · June 2007

In 2000 when I went to the dealer,I was looking at the prius, the sales person asked me if I did highway or city driving,when I told him I only did highway he told me that the prius was no good,then he talked me into the echo,also at the time it was 10k vs 20k. the echo would have a shorter payback.I have never regretted that decision.

kneisl1 · June 2007

That is commendable of the saleman. Although in the fall of 2000 when I bought my ECHO a Prius was $30,000 at my Toyota dealer. I would point out that if the Prius averages 10 mpg more than the ECHO (50vs40) then in 100,000 miles the Prius will burn 2000 gallons to the ECHOS 2500 gallons. At $3 a gallon thats $1500. It would only be fair to deduct any costs for repairing the hybrid system after the warranty expires. Which could be considerable.You chose wisely IMHO.

jbugk · June 2007

My ex bought a prius in 2002; I drove it and in it for four years, and it most certainly did not have a 10-speaker factory stereo. In fact, the sound quality was horrible -- sounded like chipmunks singing while playing toy banjos out of a tin can. Anyway, perhaps they've improved on it by now (perhaps not, I don't know). "Cameras everywhere" -- ?? Why would anyone want to spend that kind of money to have cameras everywhere. Thanks, but no thanks. I have no trouble with turning my neck to see what I'm backing up toward, and if I want a camera in my car, I'll pick one up at an electronics store and install one for a lot less.

Anyway, the Echo is INDEED a contender as far as I'm concerned. I just bought a 2004 used one, and it is just as "rock-solid" reliable as the Prius in terms of durability, in fact a lot of the parts look like they could be nearly interchangeable. Look on the net & you'll find several forums where people have ridden their Echos up to or past the 100K-mile mark and are writing about its integrity and reliability.

But yes, the Prius does beat the Echo on emissions (of course) when it's traveling at 15 mph in town because it's running on its battery.

So one out of three of your list of three -- it's an important factor, but if I actually had at least $15000 extra that I'd have to spend for a prius, would I put it in a car for around town, or could I buy 15 electric bikes.

kneisl1 · June 2007

The engine of the Prius and the ECHO is nearly identical. When I bought my 2001 ans saw it side by side with a Prius I thought the Prius was a hybrid ECHO that cost over twice as much. I like the cars understated elegance however.

nippononly · June 2007

Hey dude, not sure if you noticed, but I OWN the Echo!

And most of my remarks were directed at the current Prius model available since 2004. I have driven the pre-'04 (like your ex's '02) quite extensively, though, and I agree: there is nothing whatsoever about it that is high tech except the powertrain. And it was a fairly miserable drive at that, and did no better than the Echo did for gas mileage.

Now if I wanted all the gadgetry and they offered a Prius with a stick and some sort of handling package, I would probably look at it very seriously. But as things stand, I am enjoying my minimalist phase, and my Echo has yet to need a repair, now at 85K miles.

fdelapena · July 2007

Hello everyone, I am a former Echo owner. I sold mine to a friend in need of a car since his literally fell apart. Anyway, I am not too knowledgeable about Prius other than I know Fuel Economy it has advantage over the ECHO, but you also have to consider the weight:power ratio. The Toyota ECHO (2105 lbs) is also lighter in weight than the Prius (Curbweight: 2765 lb). In addition, if you are into modification of your vehicle, the Toyota ECHO has more performance parts available for the then the Prius.

kneisl1 · July 2007

Yes fdelapena you are right. The Prius gets about 10 mpg more than an ECHO. (maybe) So if the Prius gets 50 mpg and the ECHO 40 mpg then in 100,000 miles the Prius will burn 2000 gallons of gas and the ECHO 2500. At $3 a gallon that a savings of $1500. I bought my ECHO in 2000 for $13,100 bottom line taxes and everything. At the time a Prius was $30,000. Thats without taxes but also without a possible government tax break. Still that $17,000 i saved right off the bat. Plus interest on $17,000 over the past 7 years. So youre gonna havta do about 1,000,000,000 miles of driving just to break even.

mopar71 · July 2007

I think the weight of the battery is what gives the prius the majority of its weight.Maybe when they invent a smaller lighter battery.My first echo had 150K, my 03 has 103K and still going strong,I am currently getting 39mpg@ a constant 65mph. I am very happy with my Echo.kneisl1 is right the prius is not worth the money.Maybe when the big three come out with their own hybrids the price will drop!(RIGHT)I also heard that those batteries are expensive.

Toyota Echo Real World MPG

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