Sometimes when you’re on the road, the allure of pushing your gas tank farther and farther towards empty is too much to resist. But just how far can you drive once your gauge hits that bottom line? It varies with the model and age of vehicle, but there are a few principles that might be able to help you determine the answer.
Fuel Gauges Aren’t Always Accurate
As the procrastinators probably know, the fuel gauge isn’t always 100 percent reliable. Car Throttle set out to prove this by driving a Honda Accord to the breaking point. They were able to push that car 99 extra miles after the gauge hit 0 — proof that you can go a bit farther than you might have thought.
Calculate Your Car’s Reserve Fuel
In most cars, the low fuel warning is triggered whenever the fuel tank reaches the reserve levels. In most cars, the reserve fuel level is about 10 to 15 percent of the total amount the tank can hold.
Take a 2013 Toyota Corolla as an example, which can hold 13.2 gallons. Estimating a 10 percent reserve, that means that you’d have 1.3 gallons left when the light comes on, which equates to 37.7 miles using the car’s average mpg estimates.
Of course, if you find yourself always on empty, it might be time to move to a car with a bigger gas tank. Stop by Peruzzi Toyota to browse our selection of cars with superior mpg ratings that will make your commute less of a gas hog.
Image via Flickr by comedy_nose
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