Understanding MPG for Trade-In
Monday, June 23rd, 2008In this Yahoo report, U.S. drivers should think in gallons per mile, the author turns around the convention that U.S. drivers think in miles per gallon. Doing so causes confusion when making a decision about trading in a gas guzzler for a more fuel efficient car. Instead, the author says we should think in gallons per mile using 100 miles as the standard. In this way it is easier to visualize the difference in a vehicles gas consumption.
For example, if you drive a large truck or suv that gets 15 mpg and drive 100 miles, you would use 5.5 gallons of gas (100 / 15 = 5.5). Whereas a car that gets 23 mpg would use 4.3 gallons of gas.
Use this method when you decide to trade in your car and see if you’re making the right choice.
