Don’t expect to attain higher than 20 mpg overall with a non-hybrid, and most offer less than 30 mpg on the highway. The best fuel-efficient non-electric vehicles get the following EPA-estimated combined numbers: Small Pickup: Chevrolet Colorado 2WD Diesel and GMC Canyon 2WD Diesel get 23 mpg.

Used 2008 Dodge Caliber Specs & Features

Despite the negative side effects of combustion—it releases not just energy, but carbon dioxide—the simple fact is that you can get more energy out of gasoline than you can from other energy sources. A typical car can travel 30 miles on just one gallon of gasoline.

A car with a 12-gallon tank costs $46.20 to fill up while a larger car with a 15-gallon tank costs $57.75.

For conventional gasoline, it usually lasts anywhere from three to five months in your gas tank. Diesel fuel can last twice as long, around six to twelve months.

If you have a truck with a 50-gallon gas tank and gas is averaging $3 a gallon, it will cost you $150 to fill the tank before you turn in those keys. Add the cost of filling up your tank post-move to the cost of the trip to get your final total.

Smaller cars generally have gas tanks that hold 12 gallons worth of gas, while larger cars can hold 15 or 16 gallons. For the purpose of this story, let’s say gas costs $3.85 a gallon. A car with a 12-gallon tank costs $46.20 to fill up while a larger car with a 15-gallon tank costs $57.75.

Most big rigs in the U.S. have tanks that range in capacity from 120 gallons per tank up to 150 gallons and depending on the radius of operation, may have one tank for shorter hauls or two tanks for longer ones.

Fill up efficiently. Filling up your tank halfway will reduce your car’s weight, increasing your mileage slightly. However, if your nearest gas station is significantly out of the way of your daily route, make sure to take into account the gas spent driving to the station and the value of your time.

Keeping a full tank of gas is most beneficial to your car over the long run. Your gas tank is an empty space, and whatever space is not filled by gas is filled with air. The water vapors can also mix with the gas in the fuel tank, causing it to work less efficiently.

Con: A Full Tank Weighs More and Causes your Car to Work Harder. Your gas tank, when full, accounts for less than 5% of your car’s total weight (that’s about 120 pounds). Reducing the weight of your car by 2.5% (by only filling your tank half full) would not have a noticeable effect on your fuel consumption.

According to AAA, you can get better gas mileage by doing things like:

1. Getting the junk out of your trunk.
2. Maintain your recommended tire pressure for your vehicle – because low pressure reduces your fuel economy.
3. Keep your air filter clean to avoid making your car work harder.
4. Drive the speed limit.

Having bad oxygen sensors and air filters can reduce your gas mileage by up to 20%. If they misfire, or are working poorly, this can affect your gas mileage in a negative way. Having bad fuel injectors can cause bad mileage. This is because the fuel injectors are responsible for putting fuel into the engine.

Driving too fast. Most American cars operate at peak efficiency—generating the most forward momentum with the least amount of fuel—between 50 and 60 miles per hour. It takes more power to overcome the added resistance, which forces the engine to work harder, burning more fuel.