Calculate your vehicle's fuel efficiency (miles per gallon or MPG).
Your MPG will appear here.
Understanding and Calculating Gas Mileage
Gas mileage, often expressed as Miles Per Gallon (MPG), is a crucial metric for understanding your vehicle's fuel efficiency. It tells you how many miles your car can travel on a single gallon of fuel. A higher MPG indicates better fuel economy, leading to lower fuel costs and reduced environmental impact.
Calculating gas mileage is a straightforward process that involves two key pieces of information: the distance you've traveled and the amount of fuel you've consumed.
The Formula
The formula for calculating gas mileage is simple:
Gas Mileage (MPG) = Total Distance Traveled / Total Fuel Used
In this calculator:
Distance Traveled: This is the total number of miles your vehicle has covered since the last time you filled up your fuel tank, or over a specific trip.
Fuel Used: This is the total amount of fuel (in gallons) your vehicle consumed to cover that distance. It's often easiest to measure this by filling your tank completely, recording the mileage, driving until you need to refuel, filling the tank completely again, and noting the gallons added. The fuel added is your consumption for that leg of the journey.
How to Use This Calculator
Record Your Distance: After filling your fuel tank completely, note your odometer reading. When you fill up again, note the new odometer reading. Subtract the first reading from the second to get the 'Distance Traveled' in miles.
Record Your Fuel: When you fill up the second time, record the exact number of gallons you put into the tank. This is your 'Fuel Used'.
Enter the Values: Input the 'Distance Traveled' (in miles) and the 'Fuel Used' (in gallons) into the fields above.
Calculate: Click the 'Calculate MPG' button.
The calculator will then display your vehicle's gas mileage in miles per gallon (MPG).
Why Track Gas Mileage?
Save Money: By knowing your MPG, you can better anticipate fuel costs and identify potential issues if your mileage suddenly drops.
Environmental Impact: Better fuel efficiency means less fuel burned, leading to lower emissions and a smaller carbon footprint.
Vehicle Maintenance: A significant decrease in MPG can be an early indicator of mechanical problems, such as tire pressure issues, engine problems, or faulty sensors.
Planning: Understanding your vehicle's range helps in planning longer road trips, especially in areas where fuel stations might be sparse.
Regularly monitoring your gas mileage is a simple yet effective way to be a more informed and economical driver.
function calculateGasMileage() {
var distanceTraveledInput = document.getElementById("distanceTraveled");
var fuelUsedInput = document.getElementById("fuelUsed");
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
var distanceTraveled = parseFloat(distanceTraveledInput.value);
var fuelUsed = parseFloat(fuelUsedInput.value);
if (isNaN(distanceTraveled) || isNaN(fuelUsed) || distanceTraveled <= 0 || fuelUsed <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid positive numbers for distance and fuel used.";
return;
}
var mpg = distanceTraveled / fuelUsed;
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Your gas mileage is: " + mpg.toFixed(2) + " MPG";
}