When the gas gauge reads empty and that fuel light comes on, it can be panic-inducing. Depending on how far away you are from a gas station, you may need to walk several miles or end up paying a lot more for fuel that had you planned ahead. But not anymore! Your Mechanic has come up with a handy chart to know exactly how far you can travel on that “empty” tank.
Keep in mind your car’s age and condition.
While the chart below does not include the year of the vehicle, it is important to keep the age and condition of your car in mind. Likely, your car with 100,000 miles is not going to run as smoothly or as efficiently as your car with only 20,000 miles.
Additionally, if your car is not running well, there are systems not working correctly and could be burning through more fuel than necessary. Keeping your vehicle up to date on regular maintenance, such as oil changes and tire rotations, and fixing any problems that arise quickly is important for the overall lifespan of the vehicle.
Consider your driving habits.
It is important to remember that driving irradically will actually lower your fuel mileage. Habits such as quick acceleration, running at a higher RMP, or tire revolutions per minute, will cause your vehicle to burn through the fuel at a higher rate. This will cut down on the available miles while driving conservatively. Driving your car easier will also extend the life of your tires, brakes, and belts decreasing overall maintenance costs.
Plan accordingly.
There are usually two thought processes behind how much gas you keep in your vehicle. On one side, you have those who at three-quarters of a tank saying, “Better fill up!”. And on the other side, you have those who push the empty gauge as far as it can go.
Although most newer vehicles come equipped with a miles-until-empty feature, there is still the possibility that it may fail. That feature also does not take into consideration if you have to sit in traffic. The mileage may read higher than possible if you are sitting at idle, burning through fuel with the air conditioning on in a hot summer day.
Follow the chart.
While the below chart cannot be 100% accurate due to the varying conditions above, this chart will help provide a general sense of how many miles are left when the empty gas light comes on. The chart is divided up by vehicle make, model, amount of gas remaining when the light is triggered and how many miles remain at the point the light comes on.
Your Mechanic does say, “For vehicles with “Not available” listed for the point at which the warning light comes on, the light is triggered based on the distance to empty calculator having the listed number of miles remaining.”
Keeping in mind your car’s age, condition, and your driving habits this chart will help you plan for, and hopefully, avoid having to walk down the side of the road hunting for a gas station.
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