Gas Mileage Calculator | Compare Your Car To A Hybrid

Want to know how your current vehicle stacks up against hybrid cars in terms of gas mileage?  Before you run out to purchase a new green suv or car, it’s best to compare.  To help you with your decision, the following calculator shows you how much money you could save (in terms of fuel costs) by driving a hybrid automobile instead of your current gas guzzler.

The gas mileage comparison tool is simple to use.  Start by entering the number of miles per gallon (MPG) your current car gets.  Then, take a guess at how many miles you drive your vehicle each year.  If you don’t have any idea, 12000 is fairly typical.  Next, enter what you expect to pay on average for a gallon of gas over the next 12 months (for example, 3.85).  Finally, choose a hybrid vehicle from the drop down menu and click the “Calculate My Gas Savings” button.

Note:  It is not necessary to include a comma in your annual miles, or a dollar sign ($) in your cost for a gallon of gas.

Obviously there are many other ways to save gas and reduce your fuel costs without buying a hybrid.  In a recent article from CNN.com, the author outlined several ideas on how to save gas.

• Don’t punch it when the light turns green.  Accelerate slowly to save fuel.
• Don’t race toward red lights.  Instead, let up on the gas pedal, which also reduces braking.
• Will driving 55 mph save money on gas?  You bet it will.  Slow down a little to lesson resistance.
• Stop tailgaiting.  Besides being unsafe, the extra braking and accelerating waste fuel.
• Reduce periods of zero miles per gallon.  If your car won’t be moving any time soon, turn off the engine.
• For really short trips, leave the car and either walk or ride a bike.

In addition, there are many non-hybrid cars with good gas mileage - some nearing 40 mpg now.  A few that come to mind are the Honda Civic, Toyota Echo, Scion XA, Ford Focus, Honda Fit, Chevrolet Cruze and the Toyota Corolla.  These high gas mileage cars are often priced thousands below similar hybrid models but do your homework as mileage can be misleading. Sometimes car makers promote highway mileage but fail to mention that driving in the city or combined mileage will be much worse.  Gas mileage isn’t the only major consideration.  You should also calculate your car payment or loan payments to see what you can afford.  At the same time, hybrid vehicles that get top gas mileage will save you even more money in the long run, and many are less harmful to the environment.

Online calculator for gas milage comparisons provided by Hybrid Kingdom.