What is Your Car MPG?
MPG stands for ‘miles per gallon' and refers simply to that, how many miles you can drive your car using a gallon of fuel. Officially there are 3 measures of MPG (in the UK) as the exact efficiency of your car will depend on your driving practices. You can find a description of the different measured of car MPG at the end of this page.
What is my car MPG?
Use the form below to find out your car MPG, we quote the combined fuel consumption figure as we believe this gives the best indication of a realistic MPG fuel efficiency. The results of the form also show the car tax band that your car has, along with estimated car tax costs. Basically the lower your car's MPG, the more tax you have to pay. Please note that at present we do not cover all cars on the market.
We are also collecting REAL WORLD mpg values, so if you know how many miles to the gallon your car typically gets then please tell us by using the Add Your Comment button. Please include your car manufacture, the model number, year, fuel, engine size, current mileage your driving style.... and of course the MPG!
MPG FUEL CONSUMPTION TEST (Directive 80/1268/EEC as amended by 2004/3/EC)
The current test has been agreed internationally and provides results that are more representative of actual average on-road fuel consumption than previous tests. There are two parts: an urban and an extra-urban cycle. The test cycle is the same as that used to determine the official exhaust emission classification for the model of vehicle in question. The cars tested have to be run-in and must have been driven for at least 1,800 miles before testing.
The tests are performed on a rolling road under controlled ambient conditions. Although this gives a highly controlled environment it does not take into account the wind resistance of the car, or any efficiency losses that occur during cornering and climbing hills. However overall these tests do come close to the real-life MPG that people obtain during normal driving.
MPG Urban cycle
The urban mpg test cycle is carried out in a laboratory at an ambient temperature of 20°C to 30°C on a rolling road from a cold start where the engine has not run for several hours. It is intended to mimic the short car runs that are often performed, e.g. the school run or going to the supermarket. In practically all cases the urban cycle will give the lowest MPG figure.
The cycle consists of a series of accelerations, steady speeds, decelerations and idling. Maximum speed is 31 mph , average speed 12 mp and the distance covered is 2.5 miles.
MPG Extra-urban cycle
The extra-urban mpg cycle is conducted immediately following the urban cycle and consists of roughly half steady-speed driving and the remainder accelerations, decelerations, and some idling. Maximum speed is 75 mph , average speed is 39 mph and the distance covered is 4.3.
The extra-urban cycle is intended to mimic the longer journeys which typically include dual carriage way or motorway driving. As the car has been allowed to warm up and spends a good deal of time in the higher gears, the MPG obtained is higher than for the urban cycle.
MPG Combined Fuel Consumption Figure
The combined figure presented is for the urban and the extra-urban cycle together. It is therefore an average of the two parts of the test, weighted by the distances covered in each part.
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