#20mpg

New Post has been published on http://awesome-facts.net/ysk-the-difference-between-15mpg-and-20mpg-is-much-greater-than-the-difference-between-30mpg-and-35mpg/

YSK, the difference between 15mpg and 20mpg is much greater than the difference between 30mpg and 35mpg.

YSK, the difference between 15mpg and 20mpg is much greater than the difference between 30mpg and 35mpg.

Miles Per Gallon is a strange way to measure fuel efficiency because most people (who aren't truck drivers) typically drive a fixed distance every week instead of just filling up their tank and seeing how far they can go. What you really want to know is Gallons per Mile.

To illustrate, let's say you drive 50 miles per week. A 15mpg car will use 3.33 gallons of fuel while a 20mpg car will use 2.5 for a difference of 0.83 gallons per week.

Meanwhile, a 30mpg car will use 1.67 gallons and a 35mpg car will use 1.43 for a difference of 0.24 gallons.

MPG is not a linear scale, so the lower numbers are "worth more". This is important when you're car shopping, because even apparently small differences in the fuel efficiency of trucks and SUVs with poor fuel economy are significant. Obviously higher is always better, but you should weigh these differences more heavily if you're on the fence between two similar models.

For an easier scale, try working out "milli-gallons per mile". Using our previous comparison, the numbers would be:

15mpg | 66mgpm 20mpg | 50mgpm 30mpg | 33mgpm 35mpg | 29mgpm

With this scale, it's a lot more obvious exactly how big the difference is.