Is it normal for mpg to be low during a test drive?

Asked by Kwaku Mar 13, 2024 at 02:58 PM about the 2016 Honda Civic EX-T with Honda Sensing

Question type: General

I test drove a 2016 Honda CIVC EX-T and it had 17.8 mpg . It is advertised as
31 City 42 Highway.  Is this normal? I don't want to buy the car and the mpg
continues to be  low.

1 Answer

159,295

Don't rely on the vehicle's computer to tell you the gas mileage. The computer figures gas mileage based on engine load and vehicle speed. To get an accurate measure of gas mileage you need to do it the old fashioned way. With paper, a pencil, and a calculator. When you fill up, set the trip odometer to zero. At your next fill up write down the mileage on the trip odometer. Once you've filled up write down the gallons it takes to refill the tank. Divide the gallons into the mileage and that's your true gas mileage. For example, 300 miles divided by 15 gallons equals 20 miles per gallon. Different people get different gas mileage results as well because of different driving habits. When I was young and I'd drive the family pick up truck I got around 10 MPG. When my Father drove the same truck he'd get around 20 MPG. Same vehicle, different drivers. Hope that helps! Jim

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    ColdinMA
    Reputation
    2,400
  • #2
    Guru9CNGV
    Reputation
    2,170
  • #3
    GuruDMD1V
    Reputation
    2,140
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Honda Accord
46 Great Deals out of 979 listings starting at $2,499
Used Toyota Camry
51 Great Deals out of 948 listings starting at $1,295
Used Toyota Corolla
144 Great Deals out of 2,211 listings starting at $3,995
Used Honda Civic Coupe
6 Great Deals out of 215 listings starting at $2,977
Used Honda Civic Hatchback
19 Great Deals out of 408 listings starting at $8,250
Used Honda CR-V
150 Great Deals out of 3,840 listings starting at $4,994
Used Mazda MAZDA3
90 Great Deals out of 1,808 listings starting at $1,995
Used Honda Civic Type R
57 listings starting at $27,495
Used Ford F-150
350 Great Deals out of 15,759 listings starting at $1,495
Used Lexus IS
13 Great Deals out of 380 listings starting at $5,599
Used Ford Mustang
58 Great Deals out of 1,567 listings starting at $4,995
Used Hyundai Elantra
177 Great Deals out of 3,773 listings starting at $1,895
Used Toyota RAV4
119 Great Deals out of 2,824 listings starting at $3,973
Used Honda Civic Hybrid
8 Great Deals out of 983 listings starting at $6,800
Used BMW 3 Series
69 Great Deals out of 1,214 listings starting at $4,500

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.